Three Worlds: Population, Switched
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Final part of the "Population" trilogy. Ash, Mimi and Kari travel to Unova for a new adventure. However, Digimon have appeared in the Pokémon World and vice versa. How can they reverse the situation?
1. Unova & Why

_Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon (Nintendo) or Digimon (Bandai)  
>Summary: Final part of the "Population" trilogy. Ash, Mimi and Kari travel to Unova for a new adventure. However, Digimon have appeared in the Pokémon World and vice versa. How can they reverse the situation? Hikarishipper, some SincereShipper and maybe some RayShipping.<em>

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><p><em><strong>Three Worlds: Population, Switched<strong>_

_Chapter 1: Unova & Why_

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><p>Two paths. Two boys stood, one carrying bags. One was a raven-haired young man in a red baseball cap. He wore a light black vest over a white t-shirt and jeans. The other was a spiky brunette in a greenbrown travel vest and slacks. He's the one with the many bags. "Well, this is it," the brunette huffed. He put some of his bags down before petting a yellow mouse with the lightning bolt for a tail and a collar around its neck. "You be good now, Pikachu."

"I will, Brock," Pikachu replied. "I'll make sure Ash is behaved."

"Pikachu!" Ash reacted. Back to Brock, the boys shook hands. "I guess this is it...Pokémon Doctor Brock." Brock hadn't seen much action in this series. It's like he was nonexistent.

"It is...Pokémon Master Ash," he responded. They broke grips. "Take care." Ash nodded, promising Brock that he'd be fine.

"You, too." Picking his bags up, Brock walked down the right path while Ash and Pikachu traveled the left road. "Well, Pikachu, it's back home. You excited to see Mom?" Pikachu giggled. It didn't sound like a joke.

"Come on, Ash," he sassed. "You know I miss Mom as much as you do." Ash agreed, knowing that he's missed his mother as much as Pikachu had. As they reached Pallet Town, all they could think about was how the townspeople would greet them.

"We're here, Pikachu. Pallet Town." Home sweet home. The two entered town but weren't really greeted with a hero's welcome. "I take it no one saw the Lilly of the Valley Conference?" Don't make an immediate assumption. Maybe they don't know you're back. Someone...or something spotted them.

"Ash!" a young female voice called from nearby. "Pikachu! Welcome back!" The two turned to the voice on a fence. There was a white cat with yellow gauntlets and blue eyes. The two realized that their mother wasn't the only person to expect Ash and Pikachu home.

"_You're_ the welcoming party, Gatomon?" Gatomon bounced off the fence and scaled Ash in a second and perched herself on his shoulder as Pikachu retreated to the head.

"Well, everyone's back at your house. Of course, I couldn't wait to see my Pokémon warrior." That would explain why she's gazing at Pikachu. Did this cat fall for the mouse in heart's content or was she willing to play with him before eating him?

"Wait, when did you have feelings for me?" he wondered. Gatomon teased Pikachu by rubbing her claw on Pikachu's cheek.

"Since that battle on Mt. Quena, silly." She made her approach and point clear when...SMOOCH! Wow, already the first chapter and there's a little furry love. Pikachu's cheeks were redder than normal.

"Hey, let's save some of that when we get home," Ash giggled. Pikachu and Gatomon broke lips and proceeded on into the house.

"Surprise!" a crowd cheered. Friends, neighbors and family were there waiting for him, showering him with confetti and fizzy drinks...but that was in his dream. The house was empty, and so was any hope that Ash would be happy about his return.

"Well, so much for a happy return. Guess no one cared about my conference run." Heartbreaking.

"Yeah, they said they watched how you pulled a victory against Conrad and Paul," Gatomon pointed out. Who would _they_ be? "Not to mention they saw it here. That's why I assumed they'd celebrate at the home." Ash looked around the house when the TV hinted a note. Ash removed the note and read the only word on the paper: "DINER." This clue told Ash where everyone was.

"Mom's work. Lovely." Someone didn't want to go see Mom at her job. "You two think you can be all right alone?" Pikachu and Gatomon didn't mind. Ash raced out to the diner at the edge of town. When he entered...

"Surprise!" a crowd cheered. This time, the confetti and juice were real. Joining was a brunette young man sporting an Afro wearing a blue jacket, goggles and light-brown shorts. There was a blond haired boy in a green long sleeve shirt, gray cargo shorts, and an ivory fishing cap. Another was a brunette haired girl in a pink and white striped sleeveless shirt, skinny yellow shorts and full-arm pink gloves. Then there was a lavender-haired girl with glasses who wore a blue bandanna, a magenta button-down t-shirt over a blue blouse and a magenta long skirt. There was another brunette boy who wore a plain black shirt and shorts. One more was a violet-haired male who had like a gray jumpsuit on. There was also five tall teens in green school uniforms: a redhead male and female, a brunette wild hair male, a blue-haired male with glasses and a blond male. There was one more who had pink hair and wore a a multicolor stripe shirt and white skirt. The young brunette female had her camera out and had taken pictures of Ash getting mugged by his good friends. It was a smaller crowd than he anticipated but it's a celebration nevertheless.

"Couldn't wait for me to meet you in the DigiWorld, huh?" No, they wanted to give you a congrats in a big way.

"Your best finish ever and you expected us to do it back in Odaiba?" the younger blond male laughed. "No way!" They all had their chance to mess with Ash. Unlike Gatomon to Pikachu, no one gave Ash a kiss. There's wonder what those other two were doing back at home. Better yet, let's keep the concern on the humans. They relented in which everyone had a moment to eat. The redhead male dinged his fork on his glass, darting everyone's attention to him, including an adult brunette ponytailed female, donning a pink button-down t-shirt under a blue apron and jeans and an aged, silver-haired male in a white lab coat.

"Ash Ketchum, after hearing about your other tournaments from the past, it's agreed that this has been your best finish by placing in the Top Four," he congratulated the trainer. "It's also a privilege to have also entered the Top 100 talented trainers according to some of the top magazines around the regions." Well, two accomplishments: Top Four in the Lilly of the Valley Conference and being ranked in the Top 100 of a list. Ash thought he was getting too much credit.

"Izzy, stop," he bashfully chuckled. "You're embarrassing me." He calmed enough for his two cents. "But I guess Tobias has a point. I was the only trainer to beat his Darkrai and Latios, despite losing to him." That would be his opponent in the semifinals since he ended in the Top Four. The Afro watched the door, irking the adult brunette to worry.

"Davis, is there something wrong?" she asked. Davis felt something not right but nothing that hinted trouble. Just not proper good vibes.

"Nothing terrible," he answered as he turned to Ash. "Say, Ash! You know where Dawn is?" Did we miss someone else? Ash remembered something involving this Dawn person.

"You're still remembering what she wore for her Grand Festival, huh?" the lavender-haired teased. The blonds and brunettes chuckled like an audience in front of a great comedian.

"Yolei!" She even had a laugh at how red Davis' cheeks bled. Ash even giggled but quietly, knowing how flustered and frustrated the young Afro got.

"Actually, Dawn's with a modeling agency," he finally replied. It had to be that Grand Festival dress she wore. Dawn, a model? Davis suddenly pictured a blue-haired girl wearing a yellow dress which the skirt lengthened down to her knees as well. Her hair was in a ponytail since she shed her hat and her hair wrapped around her ears. The gloves were also arm-length almost to where the shoulder sleeve touched. To top it off, she wore white inch-high slipper pumps. That figure and wardrobe on the cover of many, many glamorous magazines, articles of travel with friends and rivals and a secret crush on an out-of-this-world boy. Davis drooled, unable to control temptation and wanting to get each magazine with her. By the way, this wasn't unnoticed.

"Way to go, Ash," the elder brunette teen mulled. "You just made Davis dream of Dawn on front covers of magazines." Apparently, Ash was ready to drop a buzz kill. Wait for it...

"Well, Tai, it's actually Dawn's Buneary that's the model." That tiny fragment of information knocked Davis for a loop. Now, he imagined a small brown bunny with fleece wearing the same outfit that Dawn wore, now that we know who she looked like, being on front covers of random magazines and her trainer talking about affections for Ash's Pikachu. Davis' world suffered Armageddon.

"N-N-N-N-Not her but...her bunny?" he badly stuttered as he sunk below the tables. Ash wasn't certain with Davis' sudden altered jolt of emotions from desired to dejected.

"I know I was telling the truth, but did Davis really need to do that?" Well, who put him in that position to begin with?

"Don't worry," the violet-haired teen huffed. "I did it to him and TK as well. The classic shock treatment." TK remembered that moment pretty well.

"Right, when you showed me and Davis that backwards clip of Yolei and Kari chasing Ash's and Pikachu's tail," he reminded. "Ah, it's probably the only time Ash called your tactic stupid, Ken." Ken laughed it off. The group ate on when the brunette boy had a question.

"Ash, what are your plans?" he wondered. Ash paused and wondered, himself. What could he do now since his stint in Sinnoh?

"Good question, Cody," he murmured. His mind focused on his journeys of then. 'Let's see, I beat all the gyms in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Orange and even beat the Battle Frontier here in my home region. Could I try the Battle Frontiers in the other regions?' Before Ash could come up with a plan, the silver-haired man had a suggestion.

"Then it's a good thing I got a phone call when you were using Noctowl on Conrad's Lickylicky," he announced. The kids turned now to the senior in the dining hall. "You see, the call was from a student of mine from back in Celadon University, the same university your mom attended. She's now a renown professor in the Unova Region, far east of Kanto which can only be crossed by plane." Ash became stoked. This was a ticket to a new adventure.

"Are you serious?" gasped the young brunette girl. This wasn't one who would prank a school of children...if they were really in a classroom.

"I am, Kari. The Unova Region has all sorts of new and never-been-seen Pokémon from our side of the ocean." Ash got more fired up and rapidly stood, already raring to go to this new region.

"Then call this professor and tell her I'm coming right away!" he proclaimed. Everyone enjoyed a laugh and even the blue-haired male with glasses offered some advice.

"Relax yourself, Ash," he comforted. "Spend a few days of R&R before you go on a new trip. Besides, I think you could use this short time to organize representatives for the Peace Corps." Ash nearly forgot. He got so excited about wanting to go to Unova that he didn't have his duties on his mind. The silver-haired scoffed, humored at the exchange between Ash and the glasses.

"Take it easy, Joe," he advised. "This is Ash's normal behavior. He's not one to hang around one place for long. However, the flight won't be for a week. Plenty of time for him to get ready." Joe eased. The redhead female seemed content with the news that Ash's career would immediately continue.

"You know, it's not gonna feel the same when you travel overseas," she expressed. "We won't see you as much." Ash understood, not wanting to split up with everyone.

"I know, Sora," he returned. Before Ash could wonder how to keep touch, the silver-haired was heard snickering. "Prof. Oak?" The good professor straightened out before he had this to say.

"I neglected to mention that I have two extra tickets to the Unova Region," he informed. Well, that could mean that he and the other adult would be going and that didn't really help the kids. "Delia and I have our tickets. I'm sure Ash could choose who would like to join him on this trip." Now the others were in glee. Two lucky kids were going to travel with Ash over to Unova.

"So, son," the other adult cooed. "Anyone special you wanna bring along?" Ash had a hard thought on who he wouldn't mind tagging along.

"Well, Kari and Yolei have been by my side since Pallet Town was abandoned. But much has changed like Yolei and Ken are dating and that Mimi's been enjoying me more than Kari, but Gatomon was all over Pikachu upon arrival..." Kari's eyes widened. This would be the first time she heard about Gatomon's affections. Just when Kari had to wonder why, Ash came up with who he wanted to have as human partners overseas. "I got it! Kari, Mimi, what do you say? Us over in Unova?" Kari and the pink-haired girl were pretty stunned. That would mean the pink-haired was Mimi. Invited to be with Ash in Unova?

"Oh, no!" Davis shot. "You're not taking-" Making Davis' mouth a card scanner, Ash shoved a business card in his beak and left it there. Removing the card from the trap, he read the tiny piece of paper.

POKÉMON STYLIST  
>PARIS, COCOA AND HEROMINE<br>HEARTHOME CITY, SINNOH

"If you want to look for Dawn, you could ride ExVeemon and check it out." Yeah, something to keep him occupied.

"Ash!" Kari opened, having Ash to turn to her. "I'd be honored to travel with you to Unova. We'll be partners to the end." That wasn't a loved proposal, more like accepting the invite. So Kari's ready to team up with Ash once more, much to Davis' chagrin.

"Ash, I accept your offer," she cooed with a slight southern accent. "Perhaps this would be a great chance to see if maybe there's some chemistry between us." Whoa, the first chapter and someone's ready to get off...or on.

"Did Mimi really need to be full frontal about the offer to Unova?" Yolei groaned. It's only now that Ash realized something missing.

"Say, TK, where are your Digimon?" he asked. "I mean, Gatomon was the only one I saw."

"Don't worry," TK reacted. "They're in the ranch spending time with your Pokémon." Getting the message, Ash relaxed.

"So the bus to Unova doesn't leave for a week, right Prof. Oak?" Kari wondered.

"Well, the plane ride but indeed," Oak confirmed. "You should have plenty of time to make sure you have the essentials for the trip." The week would fly by and that flyover was on the chosen girls' minds. Packed up and ready to go, Mimi and Kari returned to Ash's house for Unova. Mimi's hair now looked reddish blond under a green bandanna and decked out in a magenta sleeveless shirt and jeans. Gatomon and a walking plant thing with a pink flower for hair made it to the door.

"I'll go check to see if Ash is awake," Gatomon volunteered. Before they could acknowledge the cat, she leaped onto the wooden porch cover and raced around the storm drain until she found Ash's room. His room was decked out with all sorts of plush dolls and medals. Ash was getting dressed and got his belt for his new jeans latched. He was topless but since this is a male, it's all kid-friendly. There was a piece of Ash that got Gatomon purring for some human flesh: his chest and how toned and fit it was. "I don't normally see six-packs on young teens." Ash and Pikachu jumped in surprise and twisted to see the feline Digimon.

"Gatomon!" he irked. "I take it Kari and Mimi are ready?"

"Yeah, we're ready for Unova. All we're waiting on is you." Ash rustled on a sky blue t-shirt before wearing a white/blue summer coat and a new red baseball cap. The one he wore back had a black front. This front was white. With his cap on, Ash signified that he's raring to go. "Not too shabby!" Ash giggled a little from the review. "By the way, is Brock coming too?" No one informed the girls that Brock's no longer available?

"I thought Tai and Kari told you. Brock's gonna study Pokémon Medicine and become a doctor." Gatomon got disappointed. Did she like Brock? The mom entered, her suitcase packed.

"Ready to go, Ash?" she wondered. Ash nodded, excited to see Unova. That's when she saw the kitty. "Ah, Gatomon! Kari and Mimi ready?"

"Oh, yeah!" was her answer. "Though, I am a little upset that Brock's unable to join." Mom would forgive her. Mom and son exited to meet his posse and Oak's ride: a red convertible. Sweet ride! All boarded the car on their way to the airport. After everyone cleared customs, they boarded the airplane which took to the skies 85 minutes after the last passenger was on. The group enjoyed stories which one included how Ash managed to save Christmas trees nearby Rockefeller Center in New York City. Hours after leaving Kanto, new land appeared in the airplane's view. It had to be the Unova Region. The plane landed in the water perfectly and rested by the concrete dock. Grabbing their luggage and bags, the group left the plane. Their first steps on a new region. Ash, Kari, Mimi and the creatures stretched a little bit, fending off lazy joints from the long ride.

"I thought that with all of your traveling, you'd be used to it by now," Oak teased.

"Hey, hey, ease off!" Mimi shrugged. Ash recovered enough to get a scenic stare at the region he and his partners were going to traverse on.

"The Unova Region," he awed. "Breathtaking!" First impressions...

"Sam?" a female shouted. "Samuel Oak, is that you?" All turned to see a tall brunette female with a hairdo that looked like ice cream served at fast food chains. Her wardrobe had Mimi wondering if this was for real. She wore a spring blue trench coat over a white tank top and a green skirt while wearing tennis shoes. Oak was pleased to see his pupil from Celadon U.

"Ah, Aurea!" he greeted. "I was wondering if you didn't get my e-mail." Her charismatic laugh sounded like she's good mannered. Mom came up to see Aurea.

"Aurea, how long has it been?" she welcomed.

"Too long, Delia," Aurea replied. "What happened to you after you left?" Delia could explain but Ash and the girls were interested with the meeting of adults. "Ah, so this is the young man who finished in the Top Four in Sinnoh, is it?"

"He is! This is my son, Ash." Now, she gazed Ash. "Ash, this is Professor Aurea Juniper, the lead professor here in Unova and in charge of the starter Pokémon in her lab at Nuvema Town." Ash and Aurea, or Prof. Juniper for that matter, shook hands when she saw Pikachu and got excited.

"A Pikachu!" Pikachu was startled, even more when Juniper picked him up. "So, you're the Pikachu that Prof. Oak had in storage." Pikachu calmed down but was still bewildered with the sudden reaction.

"Yeah, it's my Pikachu and we've been pretty great friends," Ash explained. Juniper was humbled and humored with the details.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Ash, and you too, Pikachu." That's when she saw the other two. "So, you friends of Ash as well?" Kari and Mimi bobbed nods. Ash decided to introduce the two.

"They're Kari and Mimi. We've helped each other in our respected lands with dangerous issues." In a moment of acknowledgment, Juniper just nodded.

"Why don't you tell us more when we get to my lab." With agreements, the group followed Juniper into a van. As she drove, the youngsters saw creatures they never seen like pink deer and cotton balls with leaves hanging out.

"The Pokémon here are never really seen in any of the other regions you've visited, Ash," Oak pointed out. "Same goes with the Pokémon back home that never live here." So the kids were viewing Pokémon that only reside in Unova and nowhere else. When the group made it to Juniper's lab, Kari and Mimi told their stories of how they met Ash and how they helped with every problem that came between.

"My, this may be the first time I let Digidestined become trainers," she scoffed. "But now that you mentioned the abandoned town, Kari, I remember hearing a story and how a few kids brought everyone back." Kari and Gatomon itched their redden face in humbled embarrassment. "Well, it's such an honor to meet Digidestined like you, and Gatomon and Palmon."

"Thanks, Professor," Mimi praised. Just as they were settling in, an assistant entered the scene and tapped Juniper. Something was whispered. Nodding, Juniper had business to conduct.

"I've been informed that another new trainer has arrived. This could work both ways since you'll be seeing which starter Pokémon I possess." Juniper and the kids entered a new room in which a dirty blond boy in an orange coat was photographing the area. Hearing the doors, the new blond spotted the group. "Hello there. Are you the new trainer ready to start your journey?"

"Yeah, I am," he quickly responded. "I'm Trip. My home's about a mile from here." A local. Trip saw the trio, slightly curious about who they were.

"Hi, there!" Ash greeted. "I heard you're getting your starter Pokémon." Trip nodded, though he felt uneasy.

"And who are you?" Ash had a hand out for a shake.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, over in Kanto." Trip huffed, now realizing why he had an uneasy feeling. He also saw Pikachu.

"How typical. You and your Pikachu are from the boonies, huh?" Ash flinched in a cringe. He got dissed. "In case you haven't figured it out, you're in a new crowd of Pokémon." Man, the audacity. Juniper tried to keep Ash's emotions in check.

"He's visiting this region, no need to start a war," she murmured. "I don't think you wanna make your first battle with someone ranked in the Top 100." Trip scoffed it off, saying that it meant nothing.

"Whatever. It's not like he can stand up to me." Tough talk coming from a new trainer.

"Last trainer I saw arrogance like that, he had less care for Pokémon," Kari mulled. "Put up a pretty good battle." Trip continued his scoffing. Juniper thought of an idea to put Trip in his place.

"Well, you can't prove you're better than him without a Pokémon, right?" she stated. "Allow me to show you the starter Pokémon you get to choose from." She grabbed one ball and opened it up. From the disposed ray of light, a reddish-orange piglet with black ears emerged. "This is Tepig, a Fire-Type." Ash studied Tepig, impressed with the look.

"You're pretty cool for a Fire-Type," he awed. Tepig snorted, flashes of ember shooting out. Trip, not so much. Juniper opened the second ball. That one was a blue sea otter with a white head and a shell on its chest.

"This is Oshawott, a Water-Type." Oshawott punched the shell with its arm, acting proud and making Kari giggle.

"Boy, aren't you a cutie pie," she cooed. Oshawott blushed at the compliment but Trip didn't see anything interesting about it. Picky, picky. Juniper opened the last ball. That one had a tiny green snake with little arms and legs.

"This last one is Snivy, a Grass-Type." Snivy grinned, a rather determined gaze shone and one Mimi couldn't resist. It could be because she had Palmon.

"This one has the looks to work hard," she complimented. That irked Trip. Mimi's words opted his choice.

"Thanks for your help," he praised. "Prof. Juniper, I would like Snivy to be my starter Pokémon." Juniper was happy to see Trip make his choice. Same cannot be said for Tepig and Oshawott. Tepig growled that he wasn't chosen and Oshawott was petrified in dismay. "And I wouldn't mind taking my first crack than to battle Pikachu." A challenge and Ash cocked a grin. He was anxious to try and work out his strength in Unova.

"Well, prepare for your first fall, Trip," he sneered. Kari and Mimi wondered how Ash and Trip got so competitive so fast. That, or...

"Really, Ash?" Palmon sighed. "Pun his name?" This battle should be good.

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><p>TO BE CONTINUED... (Thanks for your votes. By the way, the previous two titles were not ripoffs of shows that were on National Geographic. Merely coincidence. Never watched those shows.)<p> 


	2. Iris & Pupil

_Chapter 2: Iris & Pupil_

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><p>Not one day into walking on the soils of Unova was Ash issued a challenge. Trip, a new trainer from nearby, scolded Ash in consideration of his hometown of Pallet as "The Boonies." In a battlefield out in the backyard, Ash and Trip stood on opposite sides as Mimi, Kari, Delia, Gatomon, Palmon and Juniper watched from the sidelines. Oak stood on the sidelines as well but offered to officiate the contest. Trip and his new Snivy and Ash and his best Pokémon, Pikachu. "We'll have a battle between Ash and Trip!" Oak announced. "Each side has only one Pokémon so we don't need to worry about unnecessary substitutions. Let the battle begin!" Trip wasted no time...whipping out his camera. He was taking a few shots. To Ash, Trip was either stalling or mocking his choice.<p>

"Hey, this is a Pokémon Battle, not a photo shoot!" he groaned. To Mimi, Trip was trying to get into Ash's head.

"Seems as though Trip wants to wear out his opponents mentally," she studied. Kari would agree but also input a factor.

"Brock told me and TK that different Pokémon trainers use different tactics when it comes to battles," she summarized. "Ash uses the most common but best resulting technique which is instinct. There are others who use different techniques like computer calculations to just brute strength. Trainers and techniques are like snowflakes, no two are alike." Each trainer was unique. Ash kept a stern eye on the grin on Trip's face.

'I gotta keep in mind that this is his first Pokémon battle,' he thought. 'Yet he seems to know that Electric-Type attacks aren't strong against Grass-Type Pokémon like Snivy. But let's see if I can't find a way to debunk that fact.' "Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu raced at full speed and smashed his body into Snivy. Snivy recovered for Trip.

"Snivy, Tackle!" he called out. Snivy returned the strike with a full-body strike of its own. So far, Pikachu and Snivy were even.

"Use Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail turned into steel which was swung. Snivy avoided the attack by jumping back.

"It seems there's more than Electric-Type attacks your Pikachu has. You hillbillies can be clever." Ash growled at the mocking. "Are you refusing to use Electric attacks because you know they're not as effective against Grass-Type Pokémon like Snivy or are you afraid that you may burnout your welcome to Unova?" The irritation on those teases boiled Ash until he noticed sparks on Snivy. His frustration switched to grin.

"How do you know I _haven't_ used an electric attack?" Trip blinked befuddled. When he spotted the same sparks on his starter Pokémon, he wasn't sure what Ash used to shock Snivy.

"When did you shock Snivy?" The others saw that and had a guess to what Snivy was covered in sparks.

"Of course," Juniper realized. "Pikachu's Static!" Static? "Any physical contact on Pikachu has a chance to cause paralysis." When Snivy tackled Pikachu, it received a feedback which held it down. Gatomon had some doubt about it.

"Odd..." she mewed. "It never happened to me when we made out." Was that what happened when Ash was celebrating with the Digidestined? The other girls were more shocked than Snivy...but that's saying more than what was really needed.

"Too much information, Gatomon," Kari sighed. Ash decided to take advantage of this status account.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" he ordered with a confident shout. Pikachu bolted toward Snivy who tried to shake the Static off. Pikachu became a yellow comet of a cannon ball shot out.

"Jump to dodge it!" Trip called out. Snivy shook off enough of the Static and leaped to the sky. Ash saw Snivy open.

"Not so fast!" Pikachu leaped up, still streaming the electric yellow. Now Trip saw Pikachu as a "flying"duck.

"Leaf Tornado!" Snivy summoned bunches of leaves and blew them in a vortex of green at the rat from Kanto.

"Twist it!" Pikachu began spinning his body as it entered the Leaf Tornado attack. Trip was stunned at how snappy Ash's head processed. BLAM! Volt Tackle, dead center. Snivy fell down to earth with a bellyaching thud and swirls in its eyes. Pikachu landed on it's paws but felt a stinging sensation. Pikachu stood but not Snivy. Oak made the call.

"Snivy is unable to battle!" he announced. "Pikachu wins and the victory goes to Ash of Pallet Town!" Delia, Kari, Mimi and the Digimon cheered in celebration. Pikachu rose a paw in victory as Ash pumped the air. Trip was less than pleased. How could a hillbilly take down a Pokémon despite a type disadvantage? Juniper was intrigued with Ash's battle style. Trip recalled Snivy with a glum painting his mug. Ash approached Trip with a hand out.

"Great battle. You had me going with that Leaf Tornado." Trip, sore loser and all, refused the offer of a handshake.

"You just got lucky," he snorted. "Next time, the tables will turn in my favor. I won't let someone from the boonies get the better of me the next time." And with that little exchange, he walked off. Ash, Pikachu, Oak and the girls wondered what his issues were. Night fell. Juniper was enjoying one of Delia's famed dishes. In the middle of dinner with the others, her focus was on the Digidestined.

"Mimi, Kari," she opened up. "I appreciate that you want to join Ash in this journey through Unova. However, I'm rather concerned about Palmon and Gatomon." Mimi, Kari and the Digimon listened intently. "I've heard that some of the trainers here will attack anything that resembles a Pokémon. I can offer you the other two starter Pokémon to keep yourself safe or I can find out when another Snivy is available." Juniper was willing to give Kari and Mimi Tepig and Oshawott. Ash suddenly remembered something of Kari's.

"Wait, Kari!" Ash spoke up. "Don't you still have Butterfree?" A Pokémon Kari owned?

"You might find this familiar but there was a cliff between Vermillion and Saffron Cities where I saw a swarm of Butterfree so I brought mine out. Misty and TK were with me and she explained how your Butterfree had fallen in love. It told me that the Butterfree were mating. So I released Butterfree and before I blinked, a yellow Butterfree swooped down and did a courtship dance. Humored, I laughed with Patamon but my Butterfree adored it and did the dance itself. I wished good luck and they flew off pretty stoically." Then her face bittered a bit. "It's also when I noticed TK and Misty holding hands. I mean, I like TK. Don't get me wrong." She was a bit upset with Misty and TK holding hands? It may not be what she believed but this was the first piece of news about it." Ash and Mimi understood Kari's dilemma. She threw up a mild smile, trying to hide her sadness. "Other than that, I'm Pokémon-less!" Lovely. "So if it's okay, I'll take Oshawott with me." Juniper was happy to give Oshawott to Kari but wasn't as thrilled as the Sea Otter Pokémon himself who leaped out of midair and embraced a hug onto the brunette. "Okay! Okay!" Juniper and Delia had a laugh.

"Oshawott can be pretty affectionate," Juniper choked on her laugh. "Sorry if I forgot to tell you." Kari wouldn't mind.

"I dealt with Agumon a lot, so I wouldn't mind having Tepig with me," Mimi offered. Juniper bobbed to the other suggestion. Both Digidestined girls were getting new Pokémon. The journey was set but they wouldn't take off until the next morning. The next morning, the three were ready to travel through Unova, ready to meet all new Pokémon.

"Well, this is it!" Delia acknowledged. "Don't forget to call home at times and change your you-know-whats." That humiliated Ash greatly. We can only imagine what those you-know-whats were. Heck, Mimi was unsure of what you-know-whats were.

"You-know-whats?" she repeated questionably. Gatomon had an idea of what those could be and whispered it to Mimi. Hearing the detail, Mimi's face lit up red in embarrassment. "Well, we better make sure our eyes don't catch him cleaning those, right?" Delia and the professors chuckled.

"And Kari and Mimi, don't be afraid to help my son out in case he gets into trouble." He'll be more embarrassed that he's got two girls with him but the girls promised not to go smothering his feelings over everyone.

"Now the first gym is in Striaton City," Juniper explained. "It might take you a few days but there's no pressure. And I did double your D-Terminals' RAM and hard drive space plus I've included a map onto it so getting lost shouldn't be a problem." That's quite an upgrade.

"Thanks a lot," Kari praised. Finally, waives on both sides sent Ash and the Digidestined/Trainers traveled down the path. Mimi had a question about why Ash chose her and Kari.

"Say, Ash?" she spoke up. Ash and Pikachu turned their heads to the redhead. "Just curious but why did you choose me and Kari when Prof. Oak mentioned those other tickets? Why not call Max or Tracy?" Pretty good question.

"Well, I did see Ken and Yolei with their hands together, so I know that Yolei wouldn't be able to spend as much time with us," Ash began. "Cody's still too young and I'd rather not endanger Armadillomon unjustly. Davis has his eyes set on Dawn and TK told me about his talks with Misty. Plus, you haven't had a real chance to explore the Pokémon World so consider it my treat." That would explain a lot but not all.

"Well, that's nice but that doesn't really explain why you brought Kari along," Palmon pointed out. Yeah, any specific reason to elect Kari?

"Kari's been a great asset to this world's recovery since LadyDevimon and MaloMyotismon attacked it. Other than Yolei, she's been practically by my side." Kari sighed, thinking he's giving her too much credit.

"Please, Ash," she huffed. "You're saying that because you needed someone you can trust-" Kari stopped everything: mouth, legs and body. When Mimi and Ash noticed a couple less parading feet, they turned to the brunette who was looking at a bush that was normal green...with an abnormal purple top.

"Kari, something wrong?" Palmon wondered. All Kari did was point at the unusual bush. When the rest turned, they spotted the purple top. Mimi saw this in confusion.

"I may live in New York but even the bushes and shrubs never had anything purple except for maybe Christmas," she expressed. "If someone was trying camouflage, it's not working." To Ash, the thought of that being a Pokémon pulled out a hand-held device with a sliding monitor. Nifty.

"Let's see if it's a Pokémon," Ash theorized. "You never know, we are in a new region." The screen revealed a green miniature dinosaur with a forest green fin on its head and tusks protruding from each side of the mouth.

"Axew, the Tusk Pokémon," the device identified. "Axew marks its territory by using its tusks on trees. These tusks will regrow if they fall out." An Axew, huh?

"Okay, this doesn't help too much. It doesn't explain why the bush has the purple crown." Even Pikachu wondered about it. Anyone noticing Mimi? Hearing a rustle of branches, all turned to Mimi picking a pear from a nearby tree. She approached the suspicious branch and offered the pear. She grabbed a Pokéball from her side just in case. Tepig's Pokéball? That's when an actual Axew popped out and bit the pear. Eating it, the group got their first up close image of a Pokémon from the Unova Region.

"So that's an Axew," Gatomon awed. But it didn't conclude the purple top mystery. Kari reached the top as Axew hopped out to see everyone. The purple top Kari brushed...was hair! It wasn't a something but a someone.

"This might explain the purple crown," she motioned. Tanned hands wove to shoo Kari away. Springing out in the biggest frustration of the chapter, a tanned girl with giant purple hair leaped out in anger.

"Back off!" she yelled. "Back off! Back off!" The girl, now seen with a white sweatshirt a size bigger than her and matching pants, gasped angrily at Ash and the girls. "Don't you know better than grabbing a girl's hair?" Kari was at a lost for words. Mimi was ready to counter.

"Really?" she stormed. "Then explain why you need to hide from us?" The new girl hesitated to reply. She did come up with a less than ideal answer.

"W-Well, you're strangers! Unova can treat out-of-region trainers very roughly!" Ash already had an example from Trip. He optioned to break tensions.

"Hey, hey, calm down," he tried to ease all. "Sure, we're not from this region but that's no reason to just blow up on us. Maybe we can be work something out." The new girl sighed, flustered at how clueless Ash acted.

"What did I just get done talking about? What a little kid." That managed to get under Ash's nerves. He boiled in anger when something caught the new girl's eyes: Pikachu. Instantly, she got excited. "Oh my gosh! A Pikachu!" She raced and knocked Ash into Mimi just to get to hug the mouse...tightly. "We don't have you around Unova but we should! You're so adorable!" Kari and Gatomon were a bit beside themselves in how to properly extract Pikachu from her. "Tell you what, I'll forget that argument since you brought something from a different region over here. We're just not use to having people from the outside. I'm Iris." Iris held a mighty tight grip on Pikachu, much to his displeasure. To retaliate, Pikachu blasted Iris with an electric attack, zapping her entire body. Overloaded, Iris was shocked to unconsciousness and lost her grip on Ash's Pokémon.

"If you love something, let it go," Gatomon quoted. Wrong item said Kari's sigh

"That's not the quote to use, Gatomon," Kari criticized. Mimi came to after being knocked down by Iris' shove and found Ash on top. Almost in a blind passion since Kari and the creatures eyed the downed girl, she wrapped her arms around Ash and basked in this brief moment.

"Ash..." she whispered. A few minutes later, everyone was back up and Ash and the Digidestined explained the situation. Iris wasn't too awed.

"Well, your tales seem just out-of-the-ordinary," she mumbled. "I guess I've gotta put my trust now that you showed me your Digimon." Not much support.

"I guess you would need to have seen it on TV or in a newspaper to understand the whole detail," Gatomon purred.

"Yeah, perhaps. So, do all the Digimon end in 'Mon?'" Mimi and Kari bobbed, saying that they all ended the same way. "And they all talk like humans do? This is just too much to take in on one moment." Ash decided to ask something about Iris.

"Anyway, what are you doing with Axew?" he opened up. That had Iris look to the Kanto boy.

"Well, I'm training with Axew to become a great Dragon Master." A Dragon Master? Sweet! Ash huffed a giggle, remembering another trainer who wanted to master a certain type of Pokémon.

"Lovely. You and Misty both. She's the Cerulean City Gym Leader who's trying to master Water Pokémon." A wannabe Dragon and Water Master. That's when Iris spotted the collar drooping from his coat pocket.

"Don't you know how to organize?" Oh sure. Instead of letting him know about the collar falling out, Iris nagged him instead. "You've got stuff ready to fall out of your pocket. What a kid!" At least be nice about it. Ash thought about knowing Axew with that special collar.

"Really? Hey, Axew, could you come here a sec?" Axew was a little bewildered. Iris pondered something but couldn't put her milk chocolate finger on it. Axew waddled over to Ash where he fitted the collar in the narrow space between the head and body. Axew gawked at its new accessory.

("Why did you give me a collar?") it chatted. "I don't get it!" Axew paused when it spoke human. That moment stunned both the Pokémon and Iris. "W-Wha-What?" Axew was excited to actually talk. "Master! I can talk!" Iris was overjoyed. Through the digital technology, Axew had the privilege to speak like his master. While those two were in joyful pleasure, Kari further studied the Tusk Pokémon and learned it's abilities.

"Scratch and Dragon Rage?" she examined with the same device Ash used.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to perfect that Dragon Rage," Iris sighed, scratching her head. That's when Kari had a proposition.

"I have an idea. We can help you with Axew's problem if you can guide us to Striaton City." Humored already, Iris decided that they could be of great use.

"Yeah, you bet. I don't wanna drag any kids with me but I guess it couldn't hurt to help out once." Iris, Kari, Axew and Gatomon proceeded ahead...and left Mimi, Ash, Pikachu and Palmon wondering why Iris would mock Ash as being a kid.

"So how is it that I'm a kid to her?" he groaned. Mimi giggled at Ash's chagrin.

"Perhaps she's not use to having cute boys approaching her, especially those from different lands," she guessed. "I don't mind it at all because you're here with us." Ash and Mimi and their creatures made pursuit, unaware of a mystery in the making. What awaited their journey to Striaton and through Unova? Those expecting Cilan to make a showing, he won't. Only spoiler.

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><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<br>(Honor your veterans on 9/11's 10-year anniversary. They fought hard for everyone's freedom and deserve as much respect as those heroes who were lost on that tragic day.)


	3. Sonny & Yokomon

_Chapter 3: Sonny & Yokomon_

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><p>Starting their Unova Region journey, Ash, Kari, Mimi and their Pokémon and Digimon friends came across Iris, an up-and-coming Dragon Trainer. It wasn't long since Ash's first challenge was a success by beating Trip and his newly acquainted Snivy. Prof. Juniper offered Pokémon to Ash's colleagues, Kari and Mimi with Juniper's remaining Pokémon, Oshawott and Tepig. Kari chose Oshawott and Mimi had Tepig. Taking off, they came across Iris who belittled Ash for being a kid. It wasn't like she knew of the adventures with him and the Digidestined. On their way to Striaton City, Iris and Kari were sharing a wonderful conversation as Ash and Mimi hung back. Ash still couldn't fathom Iris downgrading him into a little kid. "Cheer up, Ash," Palmon said. "I'm sure there are worse trainers who've put you even lower than her." Ash dipped his head below his chin, scoffed out. Something he wanted to forget, perhaps?<p>

"Palmon!" Mimi scolded. Palmon wasn't sure why Mimi would suddenly snap at her for trying to cheer Ash up.

"What? I was trying to boost his confidence! What's wrong with that?"

"Your wording." As Palmon wondered about what she said, the group came across a restaurant cleverly along the road. A trap? Ash's stomach began to growl, nearly doubling over the lone male.

"I recognize that roaring stomach from anywhere," Gatomon meowed as she glared at Ash. "How unreal is that digestive system?" Ash giggled, embarrassed at his stomach motor work. Inside, the girls and Ash told some more stories. Fortunately, they weren't ones involving Ash. Finally, Ash broke his silence.

"Say, Iris?" he spoke. "Besides the Gym, is there anything special about Striaton City?" He thought Iris knew about the upcoming city since she's a regional. Iris snickered, expecting a question about this region from a foreigner.

"Well, it's actually the Gym that the real sightseeing is notorious," she exclaimed. "The Gym is a real popular restaurant around Unova. The food there's out of this world and the gym leaders are sincere waiters." Gym leaders moonlighting as waiters? Well, something to do while waiting for their next challenger. Something about this information bugged Ash.

"Are you saying the Gym has more than one Gym Leader?"

"Duh! That's why the Striaton Gym has the Trio Badge! What a little kid!" Ash snarled at Iris' teasing.

"Like we knew what the Gyms in Unova," Kari snapped back. "So there are three Gym Leaders in the Striaton Gym?"

"That's right. I've never tried the Gyms myself so I can't really reveal too much about who's in where. I've just overheard passers as I trained with Axew." That's at least enough information for Mimi to reveal confidence about what to do.

"Then it's a good thing we three will try the Striaton Gym together," she grinned. "We'll see how Digidestined can do against Gym Leaders." She's aware that she needs a Pokémon. Sure she has Tepig and Kari with Oshawott. Ah, now it makes sense. Ash, Kari and Mimi versus the three Gym Leaders. That would even the odds. After everyone ate, the group exited and proceeded on their way toward Striaton City when Gatomon had a bright idea.

"You know, I think you guys might need some training with your new Pokémon," she hinted. Kari never thought about training for the upcoming Gym Battle. This was a great idea.

"Good idea, Gatomon," Kari agreed. "We could use a little warmup." As they searched for a clearing, the group took a step down...into a pit. The fall knocked the wind out of everyone's sails upon landing, Ash breaking the girls' falls. Mimi was on top of Kari who was on top of Iris who was over Ash. Now everyone had a piece of Ash. "Okay, why am I thinking Team Rocket's involved?" The only one not keyed in about Team Rocket? Iris.

"Team...who?" she groaned. Trying to shake the pain, the group got to seating positions.

"I take it Unova doesn't have any criminals?" Kari wondered. It's a big region.

"Not anyone who digs pits!" Could it be that Team Rocket also came to Unova?

"If Team Rocket didn't dig this pit, who did?" They were about to get a clarification.

"Sandile!" a young male called down. Everyone looked up, spotting a light hair brunette boy in a turquoise polo. Sandile? A new Pokémon perhaps?

"Hey, could you hold on for a second while we get out?" Mimi asked. The boy nodded for Mimi to let her Digimon do the work.

"One escape rope, coming right up!" Palmon gripped. "Poison Ivy!" Palmon shot vines which snagged a thick branch of a tree. She and Mimi flew out of the pit before turning to the others. Palmon fired the vines back over the branch to where they and the boy helped the rest from the pit.

"Thanks!" Ash praised as he was the last to escape. "Now you said Sandile, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," the boy confirmed. Mimi brought out a device with a sliding monitor. Up popped a tiny brown crocodile with black eyes.

"Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon," the device computed. "Sandile's eyes are protected by a dark membrane from the sun. It also buries itself in sand with it's eyes and snout sticking out for prey to feed." It sounded from the device and the boy that they were dealing with a mischievous Sandile.

"So we got a lively one, huh?" Mimi understood as she put the device away. "By the way, thank you for helping get my friends out of that pit." The boy massaged his head, acting like it's no big deal.

"Don't mention it," he huffed. "That Sandile and its bask have been causing havoc to anyone who came across my dad's spa resort hotel." There's a stress reliever. Mimi basked in hearing about a resort spa nearby.

"Your dad runs a spa resort hotel, huh?" Ash wanted clarification of his own.

"Yeah, but right now it's closed due to those rambunctious Sandile. I'm Dan, by the way." Iris introduced her and the group to Dan.

"Hey, why don't you show us to the resort?" Ash requested. Dan agreed and a short time later, the group arrived at the hotel and to a greenish lake of...sand? Mimi's heart sank like the Titanic. This couldn't be the spa she imagined. "A sand bath. Pretty cool, I experienced the same thing in Lavaridge Town in the Hoenn Region." Dan chuckled at the past of Ash as he palmed the sand. "Of course, it's a whole lot cooler than back there." Dan agreed, thinking part of the town's name Ash mentioned.

"Sand baths are great stress relievers and does absolutely well with enriching the person's or Pokémon's skin." Interesting enough to make Mimi reconsider the difference of each spa. To further prove Dan's point, Ash removed his top as he entered the bath which was closed off by the tape. Before long, he was in boxers before burying every part of his body neck down. Before long, he was feeling so mellow. It felt like the mud-like sand cocooned his body in a silky fabric that he didn't want to escape.

"Man, this feels so good." Dan and the girls gazed at the buried Ash,confused at his intentions.

"I give," Iris huffed, upset at Ash's actions. "What in the world are you doing?" Ash wasn't asleep. He heard what Iris said.

"Research." Hands-on research? "Palmon, wanna join?" Pikachu and surprisingly Axew were in the sand bath with Ash. Thinking it wouldn't hurt her roots, Palmon entered as well and felt soothing comfort.

"Ash, I couldn't agree with you more," she hummed. "My plants could use a few minutes in this bath." That's a few customers. Gatomon wasn't one who wanted to join.

"No matter how much catnip you give me, I am not burying my fur in that sand," she meowed in displeasure. A cat getting dirty was unnatural so it made sense for Gatomon to refuse. Dan, perhaps never seeing a Digimon before, was interested in Palmon and Gatomon.

"This is the first time I've heard your Pokémon talk," he awed. Gatomon was a bit offended that she was referred to as a Pokémon.

"Actually, me and Palmon are Digimon, not Pokémon." Dan hadn't seen Digimon so this was very new to him.

"Digimon? Well, this could explain why you can talk like me or Iris. But don't your owners have Pokémon? You know, so that you aren't challenged."

"We do," Kari chirped as she pulled her red/white ball out. Before they knew it, a pair of sunglasses peered out of the dirt, alerting Axew.

("Something's here!") it gawked. All turned to the bath when a head of Sandile popped up. Dan got a little spooked.

"That's it!" he shouted. "That's the leader of the Sandile bask!" Some way to tell you who's in charge. Sandile barked at the group of newcomers.

"What's it saying?" Palmon wondered. Only a Pokémon could understand another Pokémon and Pikachu had an idea.

("Ash, let me borrow the collar,") Pikachu asked. Why the collar? Exposing his fine chest to the girls, Ash sat up and dug into his coat. He pulled out the collar and handed it to Pikachu who slapped it on. ("1. 2. 1. 2...") "1. 2. 1. 2." He wanted to translate Sandile's squawking. "Good. I'm ready." Ready, Pikachu faced Sandile. "Is there something wrong that your scaring humans away?" Sandile was a little startled with Ash's Pikachu now able to talk like the humans. "It's the collar. Don't worry." Sandile continued to squeak about some sort of issue. Something Sandile said began to concern Pikachu. "That's why, huh? You're protecting them?" Sandile Fear Factor used to save Dan's customers?

"What do you mean, protecting them?" he wondered. Finally, Pikachu turned to his friends.

"Sandile and his bask are trying to warn the customers about eruptions of water pillars. They're afraid the hot water from those pillars will ruin the resort's sand bath." Sandile growled to confirm the translation.

"Sandile's worried about geysers destroying the spa?" Mimi hiccuped. Ash knew that the family-run spa needed to be protected and believed there was a way with Sandile's help.

"Sandile, lead the way," he roared as he stood, his underwear the only thing covering his body. Mimi whistled, liking the trainer's firm backside. Quickly redressing, Sandile led the humans up a mountainside.

"I don't know what he's gonna find up there," Iris mulled. "Just like a kid!" Ash was too busy with Sandile to hear Iris mock him. As they got closer...

"Help!" screamed someone for help. Those screams continued until they found something startling. There were three pink plant bulbs trapped on a rock surrounded by boiling water. The kids were shocked.

"Yokomon!" Kari gulped. Digimon? Sandile and Ash ran up, wanting to find a way to reach the Digimon.

"Hurry!" one Yokomon cried out in tremendous fear.

"This rock's breaking up!" another screeched. Kari saw the boiling hot water, thinking of her new Pokémon.

"Let me try to cool the water for crossing!" she addressed. Ash through it could help and bobbed. Here she went. "Oshawott, please help!" She threw her ball out and released Oshawott. "Oshawott, Water Gun into the boiling water!" Oshawott spat a stream of water into the other water, steam billowing from the mixture. Ash knew it wouldn't be enough. That's when Sandile summoned rocks orbiting around him before firing them out in a straight line from the boiling miniature lake.

"That's Stone Edge!" Iris gasped. Seeing the Stone Edge line, Ash had an idea.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Pikachu struck the line with it's Iron Tail, breaking grounds and inadvertently made a river, draining the still heated liquid. Low enough in his mind, Ash attempted to leap over the pond. As he touched down, the wet rock slipped Ash to where his foot fell into the water. He felt the stinging burn of the heated water but mustered his wits to reach the Yokomon.

"Are you okay?" the last Yokomon asked.

"Don't worry about it! Let's get you off of here!" He scooped up two Yokomon as he set to get back over, still reeling from getting his foot burned. That's when a rumble crumbled Ash onto his knees. Losing his footing with his good foot, the trainer had a feeling more water was about to gush. BOOM! A geyser shot from below, going straight up and in, the plant Digimon in trouble. He shielded the Yokomon with his body from the falling scorching water. Sandile saw the endangered human and summoned another round of Stone Edge, splashing the water passed Ash. When no water hit him, Ash realized he was saved.

"Thanks a lot, Sandile!" Dan praised. Sandile cawed in respect. Ash had time to put one Yokomon on his head.

"Hang on!" He snatched the other two before running for a jump. He needed to get off since the mini island was crumbling. With one squatting knee, he leaped and cleared the water, landing on the other side but Yokomon couldn't hold his head and rolled off. Fortunately, Pikachu caught the Digimon but now Ash was in need of some assistance as he was losing his balance and starting to fall into the hot stuff. Mimi reacted and grabbed Ash by the arm with a small opening between the Yokomon. She pulled all of them away from the boiling water and another blast of geyser, only to embrace Ash in a loving hug. With the Yokomon safe, the group bailed back to the resort. The group eased and relaxed near the sand bath. "Is everyone all right?" All seemed to be.

"I know that we need water to survive but that water was too hot for our roots," one Yokomon complained. No kidding!

"At least you Digidestined came to save us from getting aquatic burns," a second plant exhausted. Well, it was more than just the Digidestined.

"Actually, Sandile deserves most of the credit," Kari acknowledged. Sandile barked happily as Kari even petted it. That had Sandile speaking to where Pikachu realized what the Desert Croc Pokémon wanted.

"Hey, Kari," he called. "Sandile wants you to take care of him." Kari was amazed that Sandile wanted her to train him.

"Really?" Sandile cawed in agreement. "Okay, you got a deal!" She flipped a red/white ball where Sandile bounced it off his snout before turning into a red beam which found it's way into the ball. After a few seconds of wiggling, the ball stopped moving. She lifted her ball, greeted with having a new Pokémon. "As the light shines on me, it is safe for me to say that Sandile is mine!" Oshawott and Axew cheered in excitement that they had a new friend. The Yokomon? Not so happy.

"Is that gonna happen to us?" the last one feared. Ash came forward to ease them.

"It doesn't capture Digimon," he reassured. "Only Pokémon." The Yokomon sighed in some relief. That's when Ash had questions of his own. "Another thing, how on earth did you get here from Pallet Town?" The Digimon blinked in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" wondered the first. The humans were a little stunned with that reply.

"Wait, so you...don't know how you found yourselves here?" Mimi asked.

"No! One moment, we were keeping an eye on the Digieggs at the Primary Village and the next, we found ourselves on the mountainside when those geysers erupted." Something didn't make sense. How were these Yokomon here in this world without the use of the tunnel? Suddenly, a beep from Kari.

"My D-Terminal!" she alerted as she brought out a device and read an e-mail from Izzy.

KARI- POKéMON INVADING DIGIWORLD! NO DIGIMON IN SIGHT!

Pokémon in the DigiWorld? No Digimon there? "This is big," she gulped. "And I'm not sure you're gonna believe me. I got an e-mail from Izzy telling me that there are Pokémon in the DigiWorld." The humans, Pokémon and Yokomon gasped in shock.

"The Pokémon are...where?" Dan shrieked. Kari's face was saying a lot in dismay.

"I hate to say it, mostly because I wish for it not to be true but...I think the Digimon and Pokémon have...switched places!" Pokémon in the digital world? Digimon in the Pokémon World? No one would believe it. Further proving, two black winged-beast-like demons flew over the group. This was serious. What's brought the Digimon into this world?

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<p> 


	4. Baited & Switched

_Chapter 4: Baited & Switched_

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><p>You'd think after all that Ash did to help protect the Pokémon and Digimon, along with their cooperative worlds, there weren't going to be any more problems. Boy, these problems occur with any Digidestined he's around and it didn't help with Iris and Axew in the fray. Ash, Kari, Mimi, Iris and their creatures had a few Yokomon on hand but that's nothing compared to the issue from an e-mail sent by Izzy. Digimon have begun invading the Pokémon world. "This is a serious problem!" Iris opened up. "Any trainer will mistake the Digimon for Pokémon! No one will know the difference between them!" Serious issues were about to behold a storm no one wanted to roll up.<p>

"Now I'm not sure if I want to believe you that those balls won't work on Digimon," one Yokomon feared. "And who knows what will happen if trainers like you meet up with us." Kari had an opinion about it.

"No doubt that the trainers will battle the Digimon and, just like Yokomon said, those Pokéballs will be tried to capture them," she theorized. Ash could only wonder how he was going to get everything straight. He wasn't without a plan.

"Let's first head into the next town and see how bad the devastation is," he plotted. Pikachu agreed to his master's plan and so did the female Digidestined. Iris? Not so sure.

"Couldn't we wait for some sort of representative to approach us?" she questioned. Apparently, no one had any idea who this girl was with. Palmon was ready to clue in the young Dragon trainer.

"One of the representatives _is_ here," she lipped as she pointed a vine to Ash. Iris was dumbfounded.

"Really? The little kid?" Ash scoffed at Iris' clueless gesture.

"Maybe I should explain from the start about my early encounters with the Digidestined and Digimon," he sneered. Iris wasn't impressed. Well, this was the first time meeting with Ash so she had no clue about the history. "But that can wait until this gets wrapped up first." The girls and Dan agreed as they hustled out of the resort...and to the oncoming vehicle of Juniper's. The van slowed in front of the hotel where Juniper and Delia hopped off. "Prof. Juniper...and Mom?" Iris hiccuped at Ash's word of "Mom" disbelieving that the brunette in pink was Ash's mother.

"That's your mom?" Instead of Ash explaining, she just sighed. "The way she looks, I wanna say she's his older sister. I bet she's also a little kid despite the contradiction." Instead of ranting about how offended Ash was to that remark, he, Dan and the Digidestined girls were there with the female adults.

"So, I take it you got word of the sudden invasion, Prof. Juniper?" Dan asked.

"I did," she replied in a snap. "For some reason, the Pokémon have disappeared and replaced with Digimon...but for some reason, the new Pokémon back in my lab are still there." A new Tepig, Snivy and Oshawott available for new trainers were still at Juniper's lab?

"That's weird," he gulped. "Than again, Pikachu's with me and I bet so are the Pokémon with the girls." Axew popped out of Iris' hair in attendance. Kari decided to allow Juniper information on where the Pokémon are.

"I just got an e-mail from Izzy who told us that the Pokémon are in the DigiWorld," she explained. Delia was a bit stunned but Juniper had a grit. Something didn't agree with her.

"If _all_ the Pokémon are trapped in that new world, there's gonna be so much conflict, it'll be an all-out war between regional Pokémon," she theorized. All those Pokémon fighting and forgetting who they were and where they've been now...something needed to be done.

"I sure hope Mr. Mime is still at home," Delia expressed concern. Pikachu was still hanging around so there might be a good chance Mr. Mime would too.

"Any chance we can get back to the lab?" Ash wondered.

"Yeah, the road's clear when we passed through the first time," Juniper informed. "We shouldn't have any issues on the way back." All huddled back into the van where Juniper returned to the wheel. As the van rolled toward the lab, Kari had a feeling that understanding the situation wouldn't bring an easy answer.

"I'm worried," she murmured. Ash and Mimi knew Kari was sensitive to Digimon. "I know that the Digimon won't be captured using the Pokéballs but they could be seriously hurt and..." Iris put a hand on Kari's shoulder as a sense of comfort. All of a sudden...KABOOM! Something blew up within the path to the lab and created a giant hole in the middle. Juniper slammed on the breaks to avoid the hole. That was close. All but the Digimon filed out of the van to scope the hole. No way this could be the result of the bask of Sandile. It also looked rather man-made.

"Why do I have a sinking feeling that I'm not the only one who's journeying Unova from Kanto?" Ash pondered. On cue, laughter of evil intent fouled the relief.

"We're about to find out," Gatomon braced. Out came voices.

"Journeying is the question, so twerpish indeed," an older female mocked.

"The answer to come as we feel the need," an older male spoke up.

"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future!"

"Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the black darkness of the universe!"

"And carving our names in the Rock of Eternity!" another male voice, hint of Brooklyn accent, meowed. Suddenly, three figures showed up beyond the pit. One was a female with wavy blood red hair. She wore a black mid-drift shirt with a red 'R' on it, black skirt and black thigh-high boots. One was a male with dampened blue hair. He donned a black uniform with that same red 'R' on it. The third was a cat with a gold oval coin wedged in it's forehead.

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!" the redhead called.

"And with thunderous emotion, James!" the blue-haired man announced.

"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!" the cat growled.

"Now gather, under the name of Team Rocket!" they chanted in unison. Talk about brazen and now Iris and Juniper were exposed to another Pokémon from across the ocean in Meowth, albeit a talking Meowth. Those girls were dumbfounded. Ash? Delia? Pikachu? Kari? Mimi? Gatomon? Palmon? Irritated.

"You need to fire the dunce who came up with that mess of a motto," Gatomon groaned. Team Rocket seethed in anger from their motto insulted.

"Don't you know how hard we worked on getting a new motto for Unova!" James roared. "Besides, when Unova is done, we'll be the lone organization to rule the world." Blabbermouth! "But first, we'll be taking Pikachu off your hands."

"As if!" Ash snapped in protest. Pikachu agreed to where Mimi stepped up.

"Besides, there's a crisis going on if you're too oblivious to notice," she pointed out. "Digimon are taking over the Pokémon World!" Team Rocket couldn't care if a god decided to destroy the world from their callous smirks.

"I don't care if these Diffy Mon came and attacked us," Jessie scoffed. "As long as Pikachu's with Team Rocket, we'll all be happy." Who's actually happy? Jessie whipped a vine to latch Pikachu but Ash snagged it before it reached. Mimi chose to help out.

"Let's go to work, Tepig!" Mimi tossed her Pokéball and released the Fire Pig Pokémon. "Use Ember on the rope!" Tepig snorted a flurry of burning embers as it struck the rope, burning free Ash. Meowth leaped forward, ready to hamper the team.

"You can't defeat what's invincible!" it snarled as he inched closer to Pikachu. It wouldn't get near enough.

"Roaring Fire!" a voice shouted as a stream of fire struck Meowth right back to the bad humans. Mimi saw it, disbelieving who joined the Digimon in this world.

"Meramon?" All turned around to eye a grown man on fire from hair to toe, a white polar bear and a green ogre with pants and a club plus long, slick white hair. "Meramon, Frigdimon, Ogremon!" Three Digimon Mimi knew. Help.

"Princess Mimi, good thing we found you," Ogremon sighed. "I thought you were spending your life in New York." Princess Mimi... Maybe that's why Ash elected her to join in this new quest.

"Yeah, what the heck are you doing here?" Fridgimon wondered. Mimi itched her head as Team Rocket recovered with a bazooka.

"I don't care who you are, you're not getting in my way of taking that twerp's Pikachu!" Jessie yelled, aiming her bazooka. The big Digimon weren't impressed with the huge toy the humans presented. Pulling the trigger, a missile exited the chamber and headed right at the gang. Ogremon stepped up with the white club and smacked the missile clear from the scene.

"I bet you won't try that again," Ogremon mocked. "Better yet, I'll just send you on your way!" He charged in, the Rockets frightened stiff. Batter up! SMACK! The Rockets flew off like a baseball struck by Prince Fielder. They were knocked out, meaning they were quiet. Good, who could take their mouths.

"At least they didn't make their boring exit speech," Ash huffed. "Then again, why didn't Jessie bring out her Wobuffet? Did she leave that back home like I did my Pokémon?" None of the girls wanted to speculate and instead reached the lab. Prof. Juniper got onto a special broadcast camera.

"Everyone in Unova, this is Prof. Aurea Juniper!" she spoke to the camera. "I have a special announcement! Resent any fighting with these new creatures as they are not Pokémon! I repeat, these creatures are not Pokémon! They come from a different universe and is suspected that the Pokémon are right now! Your Pokéballs will not work and these creatures will fight back! Engaging them will result in terrible consequences!" The broadcast was sent throughout Unova while Ash was able to make contact with Kanto and a teen raven-haired male wearing a bandanna.

"Tracy, are my Pokémon still at the ranch?" he asked.

"Yeah, even though the Digimon started to invade and substitute the wild Pokémon, all the Pokémon from you and the other trainers are here, even Muk, Gible, Bulbasaur...they're all here!" Tracy recalled. Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Though surprisingly, Bulbasaur's been keeping the ranch in peace." Good for Bulbasaur. Ash's eyes shifted from concern to confident. He knew what to do.

"I want you to do me a favor. Go to my house and find an envelop underneath the breadbox. There's a list of people that I want you to contact, including Prof. Ivy and Cynthia. Tell them to meet up at Prof. Oak's lab A-sap." Tracy was a little startled with Ash's sudden favor. What else, besides Prof. Ivy and Cynthia, was on that list?

"I can do that. How are you gonna get back to Pallet? You're all the way over in Unova." Kari came in to assure Tracy that all was arranged.

"I just got an e-mail from Davis over in Hearthome City," she informed. "They'll be here shortly on Imperialdramon." Notified, Tracy knew what to do.

"Okay, I'm gonna get those people over here as soon as they can." Disconnected, those in Juniper's lab had to trust Tracy in intercepting those on Ash's list. Ogremon had to wonder what was so significant about the list.

"Who's idea was it to put a list under a breadbox of all places?" he questioned. "And on top of that, who's on that list?" Ash could explain but knowing who the people were that made his list would take too much time...time that could spell disaster if they don't find the reason for the Pokémon in DigiWorld and the Digimon in the Pokémon World.

"They're the Pokémon Division for the Pokémon/Digimon Peace Corps," he replied. "Think of it as a united front to tackle any problems with either of our worlds." Dan and Iris were just as equally curious about this Peace Corps Ash had been running under their noses.

"You mean to tell us this whole time that you organized a team in case of any more Digimon incidents like this?" she awed.

"Right. Because of the initial connection quite some time ago with Server in the DigiWorld and Pallet Town in Kanto, it would've been best that there were monitors to keep an eye on each world's situation." How about the 'little kid' now, Iris? Before she could awe at how awesome Ash was, if she could accept it all...

"_**Did somebody call for a ride back to Pallet Town?"**_ a roaring voice echoed from outside. That voice had to have been Imperialdramon. All exited to see a large freaky dragon-like creature. The head appeared to be wearing a white devil mask in addition to the black scaly legs, large blue/orange dragon wings with a dome-like design. On that design was a cannon turret. Beamed down was Davis, Ken...and a blue haired girl who donned a black tank top blouse with a pink skirt and matching boots. By her was a blue penguin chick. Ash, Kari, Mimi and Pikachu were shocked to see her.

"Dawn?" the human three shrieked in unison. Dawn just waived happily.

"Hi, Ash!" she called out. "Hey, Kari! Hey, Mimi!" Did Davis pick her up because he thought Dawn was on that list of Peace Corps? Or was it that Dawn wanted to join Davis in seeing Ash again?

"Dawn, what are you doing here?" Ash wondered. Dawn was rather dumbfounded that he'd ask about her appearance here when he should be more focused on the crisis at hand.

"Duh! Don't think that you're the only one who's seen Digimon roaming around. Piplup and I needed to see the DigiWorld for myself." That's when she spotted Iris and Dan. "I guess you two must be Ash's new traveling partners in substitution for me and Dr. Brock, huh?" Dan was quick to deny as Axew popped out of Iris' hair and approached Piplup.

"No, no, not me!" Dan snapped as he wove his arms. "I'm merely a boy helping his dad at a resort."

"Yeah, I'm the one with Ash, Kari and Mimi," Iris voiced to back Dan. "I'm Iris from the Village of Dragons." Iris and Dawn shook hands.

"Dawn from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh," she introduced herself. Ken decided to jump into the middle of the discussion.

"We'll learn about you some more when we get back to Pallet Town," he spoke. "Ash, did you contact your troupe?"

"Tracy's on it right now," Ash responded. "It might take some time for them to get to Pallet when we get there." Plans in motion, Davis was ready to move out.

"Well, let's get back to the DigiWorld before the Pokémon get too cozy and tear it up," Davis tried to hurry the team. Ash and the other Digidestined agreed, ready to board Imperialdramon. Iris wanted part of the action as well.

"You're not leaving me out!" she blurted. "I'm interested in this new world!" This troubled the Digidestined. It wasn't enough that Iris wanted to join Ash in this detoured adventure but the fact that she would possibly be meeting Pokémon from different regions stirred a disastrous mix. She wasn't alone.

"I, too, can help out in corralling the Pokémon back home," Juniper offered herself. Iris wanted to help and Juniper too. Dan? Not so much.

"I need to get back to the resort anyway," Dan refused to add to the mix. Other than Davis, Ken and Dawn, everyone understood.

"Ogremon, Meramon, would you kindly escort Dan back to the resort?" she requested.

"Of course, Mimi," Meramon happily agreed. Ogremon had a moment to think about disagreeing with Mimi's favor. Him getting crushed by a huge cactus didn't settle well.

"I suppose I can go along," he relented. "Besides, if any Digimon feel like terrorizing this region, my Ogre Club will make them think twice." Satisfied, the group was ready to head back to Pallet. Dawn, Juniper, Delia and Iris got on as well. Delia would like to check on her house anyway to make sure it was still standing. As Imperialdramon flew back over the ocean, Ash hoped to see those he had on the list while Tracy called them. Who could also be joining Ash and the Digidestined as the Digimon's chaos continued throughout the Pokémon World?

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><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<p>

(So who else besides Cynthia and Prof. Ivy would you like to see help out as the journey shifts from the Pokémon World to the DigiWorld and Earth? Leave your suggestions with your review.)


	5. Gathering & Swap

_Chapter 5: Gathering & Swap_

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><p>Ash Ketchum, along with the Digidestined, have rescued the townspeople of Pallet and controlled the Digimon invasion on their Earth. This was an all new situation for the lone protector of the Pokémon World. He, Kari, Mimi, Iris, Dawn, Davis, Ken, Prof. Juniper, Delia and their monster friends rode on Imperialdramon back to the Kanto Region. Since the news broke about the Digimon invading the Pokémon World, Ash had taken action by summoning his elected division of the Peace Corps thanks to Tracy. For Iris and Prof. Juniper, this would be their first step into an all new region. However, this was no pleasure trip. There was a crisis at hand. "So, Ash," Davis spoke up. "Who's on this division of yours?" Ash would tell him but he chose to show, not say.<p>

"You'll meet them when we get home," he held his secret. It would be soon. The ocean ended and there was nothing else but land.

"_**We have reached the Kanto Region,"**_ Imperialdramon announced. Juniper and Iris looked down at the home region of Ash. Only now did every human see what's occurring: Digimon running amok from Lavender Town to the Vermillion docks as they arrived. It appeared the situation was worse than what Tracy reported.

"My goodness," Juniper gasped. "There are Digimon swarming all over." It was a sight that quelled the hunger of the eye of the beholder...but could traumatize the weak mind. Before long, Imperialdramon arrived at Prof. Oak's ranch in which the ride landed upon an open field free of any Pokémon or Digimon. These Digimon were tiny, like newborn babies. The blue being with a green bulb on it's back rustled every creature back for Imperialdramon to land. Oak and a brunette young male ran to the Dragon Digimon just as everyone exited.

"I'm glad to see you're back home safe," Oak praised. Ash wasn't wanting any promises being told. All he wanted to know was the status of the situation.

"Professor, Gary, what do we know?" he questioned as Imperialdramon shrunk down and split to two forms: one a green worm and one a blue imp.

"Tracy's over at your house making those calls," the brunette, Gary, informed. "I got a chance to look at that list and there are some I wanna question on like Prof. Ivy, Prima, Cynthia...I mean, trainers and professors...and the champion?"Ash knew what he was doing, right? He placed a hand on Gary's shoulder.

"Hey, you're helping out too!" Gary had no interest in this to begin with. "We're gonna need all the help necessary if we need to resolve this situation." That's when Tracy came back to the ranch with the list.

"Ash!" he called out. The group turned to the teen running in. It took a minute for Tracy to catch his breath. A minute more than they needed. "I've contacted those on your list and they should be on their way!" Positive news.

"Thanks, Tracy," Ken acknowledged. "Do we know when they'll arrive?" Before Tracy could open his mouth to answer, the roar of helicopter blades turned their attention around. The white helicopter screamed familiarity to Dawn.

"That's the Jubilife TV Helicopter!" Dawn identified. "You mean you have media involve?" Not according to Ash's face.

"The media's the last thing I wanna get involved," he denied. When the chopper landed, the first person to pop out was a blond woman in black. Ash grinned, knowing that she was one who got on the list. "Cynthia, on the other hand, was first on it." The champion, Cynthia. That's when a few others came out, including an old lady with a lab coat like Oak's, and a brunette female and a TV crew.

"This is Rhonda from Jubilife TV News live from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region," she began a report. "The Champion, Cynthia, and we have touched down in Professor Samuel Oak's ranch where the developing story of these invaders could be better understood by the professor himself if we can reach him." Why not talk to the boy who's been living with it the whole time. He ran up to confront Rhonda, feeling that her and her crew's presence was unwanted.

"Rhonda!" The news crew spun to the hometown hero and Davis. "What are you doing here? We didn't call for the media to stop by!" Rhonda just smirked.

"When there's a breaking news story, you've gotta be on top! Besides, seeing all these non-Pokémon creatures has never been so much of a big scoop before." She was excited to be reporting this. Cynthia had another reason.

"I was going to ride Garchomp up here when the helicopter swooped in instead," she exclaimed. "Got here with grandmother faster that way." Ash knew about Cynthia's grandmother. She was Prof. Carolina.

"So, you know about these new creatures that aren't Pokémon?" she exhumed.

"We do, ma'am," Davis spoke up. "These are Digimon, not Pokémon as you're used to." This was such intriguing information that even the crew wanted to set their equipment down to tune in.

"Wait, so they have a name?" Jack, the obese brunette male holding the boom microphone, wondered.

"Yeah, we're _way_ different from the Pokémon," the imp sounded off from Davis' shoulder. "Like the fact that we talk human-like instead of the gibberish very few understand."

"You tell 'em, Veemon!" Davis encouraged. Before Ash could continue...here came the corps group with a redhead in a vest.

"Thought as the head, you'd have the best control to make sure the boarders were in check," she playfully ranted Ash out. Hearing the tone told Ash and Dawn who made it.

"Zoey?" they gulped simultaneously.

"In the flesh! Seeing the Digimon taking the position of Pokémon, I knew I had to turn to you." To Ash, she didn't seem to be on the list. Still, it couldn't hurt to have her join in.

"We're always happy to have extra help," he accepted. So who else was coming? Wings from fliers told the crowd more support was available. In came two orange winged dragons with their tails on fire. The other was a blue snake-like creature with wings. They landed to disembark two girls and a guy. One was a green-haired girl in some spiky red armor. The other girl was a blue-haired, lighter tone than Dawn's hair and wearing a sky blue windbreaker suit. The lone boy...was that Ash? He even has a Pikachu with a tiff of fur sticking up. Wait, Ash was with Cynthia. Then who's the

"AH!" screamed Mimi. "Another cute Ash!" It's been awhile since we saw Mimi get excited about a boy. Didn't she do that in New York sometime ago? She was stopped by Palmon and her Poison Ivy vines. Ash and Dawn scampered over to see the brunette Ash.

"Great to see you here, Ritchie," Ash identified. "You too, Sparky!" Brunette Ash- er, Ritchie was happy to see his doppelganger.

"Same here, Ash," he greeted. "But tell me that you didn't put me in the Peace Corps because of her." Because of Mimi?

"I doubt he was thinking about that consequence," Gatomon purred. The two new girls walked up to Ash, hoping that this wasn't a false alarm. There were Digimon swarming all over the world, of course this wasn't a false alarm.

"Blackthorn City Gym Leader Clair and Charisific Valley Guardian Liza reporting for duty," the blue-haired woman, Clair, identified herself and the green-haired, Liza. Ash acknowledged their presence.

"Thank you for joining us," he greeted. "That leaves two more from the Orange Islands." That's when sounds of heavy breathing had Ash twist to see a rather young violet-haired woman in a lab coat and a busty redhead in glasses and...ahem...quite an outfit with the high heels. "And here they are." This was quite a scene with plenty of Professors: Oak, Carolina, Juniper and...who's she?

"Felina Ivy, I heard so much about you," Juniper greeted the last professor.

"And you must be the Unova professor, Aurea Juniper," Ivy replied. That's when she turned to the beauty queen in the group. "Let me introduce to you all, Prima."

"Hello, there," she waived. "I've seen these new creatures about my home and I am vehemently concerned." As the group got to introductions, Prof. Oak was being interviewed by Rhonda.

"With this lineup in Ash Ketchum's Peace Corps division, how confident are you in resolving the worldwide situation?" she asked the Pallet Professor with a round pasty white living ball in his arms.

"Since Ash is the main person who's been with both characters of monsters," he stated. "I have to be extraordinary trustworthy of this alliance with the Digidestined Peace Corps who lie beyond the Pokémon World's reach." Complete faith...that's all he had to do.

"So, what is it that you need all of us?" Ivy wondered. Ash peered to his traveling trio of Unova girls. Okay, one was really a local while the other two were from another planet or dimension.

"We need to restore peace among the Pokémon in the Digital World," he plotted. "Fortunately, there's only the Pokémon to worry about and the only Digimon that I would suspect still being there would be those owned by the Digidestined. Speaking of, we'll have the Digidestined guide us to their world where we'll meet up with Izzy Izumi and see what data he can provide about the switched Mons." Sounded like a straightforward tactic.

"So let's say you do get there," sounded a young boy...and it wasn't Ritchie. "And you stop the Pokémon from attacking each other." Everyone and the Digimon jerked to the raven-haired boy in a green polo. Only the Digidestined and Ash knew about the new boy in glasses like Prima. "How are you gonna make sure they _stay_ in peace?" For a late arrival, he was well informed.

"Max, when did you get here?" Max adjusted his glasses with a sinister smirk.

"Just after you left for Unova. I got so interested with how the DigiWorld was doing, I sneaked away from Petalburg to check it out. And it just so happened that I began seeing the Digimon vanishing and the Pokémon emerging. How freaky is that?" First hand experience. That's when Dawn approached Max, curious of the new addition.

"So, Max is your name, huh?" she greeted. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Dawn. Your sister and I participated in the Wallace Cup at Lake Valor." His sister?

"Don't say it!" Davis screeched, curling while standing in fear. Don't say what? Dawn leaped up to console the leader.

"Hey, hey, it's okay!" Max wondered about why Davis reacted to the mention of his sister. Who's his sister? Ash dropped a hint to his little sidekick.

"Remember what I told you on the way to Odiba the last time?" he reminded. Max thought back and realized that moment, not really speaking it and nodding. That's when a tone caught everyone. It was from Kari who opened to answer an e-mail from Izzy.

KARI-DIGIMON PEACE CORPS READY TO ENTER POKÉMON WORLD. POKÉMON PEACE CORPS SET? -IZZY.

The peace corps from Earth was ready to invade and aid the Pokémon World. They all had to be Digidestined, right? "Izzy telling you about our division set?" Ken asked. Kari confirmed with a nod. "Good. TK is in Cerulean City so he can help them out with Misty." Why was TK in Cerulean City? Sounds familiar... "I'm gonna e-mail hin quickly before we head back into the DigiWorld."

"Alright," she acknowledged. "Do what you can." Ken got the e-mail out to TK in a minute. Juniper realized a problem with the straightforward plan of meeting Izzy on Earth after quelling the Pokémon quarrels.

"Ash, if I may add something," she started. Ash turned to the Unova professor for her assessment. "We may need some to stay and make sure the Pokémon remain eased and comforted for returning them back here." This was a professor on the thought so her intelligence meant she knew something to help the situation.

"Alright, I'll leave that up to you," he accepted the plan. Juniper began the task of hiring those who'd stay in the DigiWorld with Pokémon. "Well, let's get to the gate! We've wasted enough time getting organized!" All agreed and made their way toward the cavern. There, another group of kids waited with scores of Digimon. Leading the charge was a familiar blond male.

"Hey, it's Michael!" Mimi recognized. There had to be just about twice as many kids from Earth than there were the Pokémon Division.

"Ash, it's been awhile!" Michael greeted. "I take it this is your group aiding the Digital World?"

"Yeah, including a few professors," Ash informed.

"Good. Well, here's to wishing us for a quick resolution!" Ash nodded as the Digimon Division allowed their counterparts to enter the cavern. Professor Oak didn't enter, even though his grandson did. Instead, he and Delia helped guide the division back to Pallet. Through the cavern, the DigiWorld...with the Pokémon in chaos. Pokémon from all regions were fighting abound, angered and confused about what their issues were. With the Pokémon Division ready to help the DigiWorld and the Digimon Division swarming over all regions, will peace be established?

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<p>

(Sorry for the long delay, been dealing with excruciating abdominal cramps.)


	6. Division & Evidence

_Chapter 6: Division & Evidence_

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><p>Two divisions. One goal: peace amongst the creatures who were misplaced by unknown circumstances. The PokémonDigimon Peace Corps were unleashed to take care of each problem that had arose recently. Prof. Oak and Michael organized the Peace Corps to attack the issue in the Pokémon World while Ash's division dealt with the DigiWorld. The Pokémon were running rampant and attacking each other in rage and confused helplessness. "What's that?" Max wondered as he pointed to a fight pitting mounds of moving sludge and trash bags with octopus tentacles protruding out of them.

"That's Trubbish!" Iris identified.

"And they're fighting Grimer!" Prof. Ivy named. Both shot out volleys of muddy balls, trying to take out the opposition. All attacks collided in the middle, an explosion of mud and smoke clouding the sides.

"You think you're the stinkiest?" one Trubbish taunted. "Try living in a landfill! That's true stench!"

"You're all garbage talk, you walking trash bags!" one Grimer gargled. "Alright, Grimer Squad! Another Mud Bomb barrage!" Iris was surprised to hear them talk like humans. That's not saying the others weren't as stunned.

"How are they able to talk?" she shrieked. "They're not even equipped with those collars!" Oh, yeah! Pikachu was able to help them all out.

"This is where the origin of these collars are born," he squeaked. "The DigiWorld configures the monsters into understanding human language. Think of it as computer data fragmentation." Ritchie's Pikachu was just as impressed.

"So, it's just not you but any Pokémon that enters this world, even me and Axew?" that Pikachu wondered.

"It's quite terrifying, Sparky but yeah!" Clair decided to step up instead of listen more about the configuration.

"Whether or not these Pokémon know how to communicate, it doesn't mean squat if we can't stop them from hurting each other!" she roared. "Dragonair, come on out!" Clair tossed her Pokéball and released a blue snake-like creature with orbs near it's head.

"What's the problem, Mistress Clair?" the Dragonair wondered. The release was in time. Mud Bombs aplenty!

"Dragonair, Twister!" Dragonair twisted it's long frame and began to spin, whirling a tornado which engulfed the Mud Bombs. The Trubbish and Grimer were stunned to see someone interfere with their battle. "Grimer, Trubbish, stop this at once!" Prof. Juniper and Max stepped up to help with the matter.

"Look, we understand that you're upset and confused," Juniper voiced. "But fighting each other won't solve matters." The Trubbish eased but one Grimer seemed bent about the proposition for peace.

"Well, excuse us, Miss Know-Nothing," it gargled. "But there can only be one foul Poison-Type Pokémon."

"No, wait!" the head Trubbish thought otherwise. "Think about it. Aren't you a bit curious about how we can talk human-like?" See, one was willing to listen. And so was a Grimer.

"That garbage bag has a point," that reasoned. "Look, maybe we can come to some sort of resolution." Finally, peace among the stinky ones.

"Humans!" shouted someone from above. The group looked up and saw a flock of...flying plants. There were pink puffs with green leaves on top, blue puffs with cotton balls all over and green puffs with a flower acting as propellers.

"Hoppip!" Ritchie named the pink puffs.

"Jumpluff!" Max identified the blue puffs.

"Skiploom!" Gary discovered the last, green puffs. That's when Pikachu remembered something interesting about them.

"They're the Plant Pokémon that hung around the ranch!" he realized. The Plant Pokémon landed feet from the humans.

"Serious problem over by the mountains over there," a Skiploom spoke in panic. "Flocks of Pidgey, Starly and I don't know about the last Pokémon...but they're under attack by Tailow!" Kari figured out what mountains the Skiploom referred to.

"They're at Mt. Infinity!" she pointed out. "This way!" The group raced to find the flocks swarming each other...the black birds were attacking red, brown and grayish birds. Those bird Pokémon were cornered.

"If I remember from Brock, Tailow are highly territorial so it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if other Pokémon invaded their space," Max explained.

"They don't realize that this isn't their living areas," Palmon added. Davis quickly had an idea.

"Ash, isn't Flying Pokémon weak against electric attacks?" he asked. Ash snickered at the obviousness of Davis' understanding of Pokémon.

"Yes, folks, he _can_ be taught!" he joked. Davis groaned from that badly timed gig. "Sparky, wanna help out?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sparky cheered before hopping off Ritchie and joining Pikachu. "Double Thunderbolt?" That's an attack that Pikachu liked.

"Double Thunderbolt," he agreed. They fired their Thunderbolt attacks which nailed the Tailow and not the other Pokémon. Surprisingly, the Tailow remained in the air. Was it effective?

"Twice the Thunderbolt power and those Tailow still fly?" Mimi gasped. "Is that even possible?" It seemed not to be but the look of the situation seemed surreal.

"Well, we're looking at it," Dawn gulped. Now the Tailow flock took dead aim at the humans and Prima chose to step up.

"These Tailow need to have cool heads on their wings," she calmly decided. "Jynx, help us!" Prima released a black human-like being in a red dress and blond hair.

"Ready," she announced, not stunned that she could talk like her master.

"Jynx, Blizzard!" Jynx blew out a spray of icy cold winds with packing snow which struck the flock frozen in their flight.

"Too much!" one Tailow squawked in pain.

"Retreat!" another surrendered. The flock flew off, not wanting another dose of Blizzard.

"That's giving them the cold shoulder!" Davis yelped in excitement. He's the only one. Everyone else looked at him with the "Evil Eye," including Kari...and she has an angel at her side!

"That actually made Ash's tree joke look good," Mimi murmured. Some of the attacked bird Pokémon fell in pain and exhaustion. Ivy and Juniper came to their aids.

"I'll take care of the Pidove and some of the Starly," Juniper offered. Ivy acknowledged the offer and help treat the red birds with some of the brown ones. "Ash! Prima, Ivy, Gary, Clair, Liza and I will monitor the peace around here! Get going to Izzy's place!" The rest nodded in agreement before they reached a TV monitor. Izzy was on the screen.

"Guys!" he called from beyond the screen. He, Tai and Matt watched the human stampede.

"Izzy!" Kari called out.

"We brought our crew!" Ash announced. Izzy was ready to get them to their Earth.

"Alright, we found a place with enough room for your squad to come and rest," Tai informed. They couldn't wait to get out.

"We'll be stopping by!" Davis alerted. They presented devices to the screen. "Everybody better hang on! This is gonna be a bumpy ride! Digiport open!" A flash from the screen and a couple of seconds later, those who didn't opt to stay vanished...only to reappear in a park..in a mass pile of bodies, human and otherwise. Cody, Yolei, Tai and Matt helped tear the pile apart and get them on their feet and paws. Axew and Piplup shook whatever they were hit with.

"Tell me when the ringing stops," Iris whimpered before being helped up by Joe.

"Here you go!" he hoisted.

"Thanks. You're better help than that kid." Zoey, seeing where Iris' irises were gazing at which was Ash, got a little heated.

"Now you listen here, Missy!" she started up by yelling in her face. "Do you know what it's like keeping the peace involving both Pokémon and Digimon? It's hard work and he has to check in time and time again! Ever since Digimon invaded Pallet Town quite sometime ago and evacuated everyone, Ash was the only one to settle the peace and align with these other people! I don't know where you have the nerve to insult the pioneer peacemaker amongst all of us!" Iris was starting to get rather terrified of Zoey's ranting...enough to get Ritchie to step in and break the two apart.

"That's enough, you two!" he scolded. Both Iris and Zoey turned to the other Pikachu owner. "Look, it's already frustrating enough with the Digimon running amok back home. The last thing we need are quarrels with each other!" Ash and Dawn didn't really hear Ritchie since they were pretty shocked with Zoey's behavior.

"There's a side of Zoey we haven't seen," she stuttered. Before long, Yolei, Cody, other girls and some Digimon burst into the gym to see who's there. One girl was a brunette wearing a jean jacket over a pink/black stripe blouse and more jeans around her legs. The other girl was a blond in a red dress. The Digimon had an armadillo, a red bird and a walking flower bulb.

"Is everyone all right?" Yolei wondered. Other than a couple of heated heads, it's all cool.

"Yeah, we're all okay," Max reassured. When the blond in red spotted Ash...oh boy!

"_Monseiur Ash!_" she screeched as she got to Ash...and peck him on the cheeks. "_Ç__a va?_"

"I'm just fine, Catherine," he replied without blushing from those small kisses. That got Cynthia intrigued.

"Interesting greeting you gave Ash," she snickered. Catherine giggled.

"That's how we people from France greet each other," she exclaimed. Cynthia's eyes schemed something. Zoey approached Izzy with something on her mind.

"Hey, as much as I wanna stay with Ms. Mouthy _and_ argue about respect for Ash," she groaned. "I wanna get back to the DigiWorld and help the professors." She was ready to aid those Juniper elected to stay and help the Pokémon.

"Well, include us and our Digimon!" Yolei offered. Cody, Tai and Matt were ready to help out the cause.

"Several of our Digimon are still in the DigiWorld and may need a little assistance," Tai acknowledged. There were still Digimon in the DigiWorld despite what's going on?

"I thought all the Digimon were in the Pokémon World!" Max gawked. Izzy got the port to open up.

"Okay, guys!" Izzy voiced. "You got the green light!" Tai, Matt, Yolei and Cody got their hand-held devices to the screen. Zoey snagged Cody's shoulder softly.

"Digiport open!" Yolei summoned. There was a flash from the screen and before you knew what it was, those who opted to enter vanished. They entered back into the DigiWorld.

"I don't get it," Max wondered, retracing back to the topic of Digimon still in DigiWorld even with the switch. "If the Digimon and Pokémon swapped worlds, how come there were some immune to it like your Digimon and Ash's Pokémon?" Izzy thought about this detail. Something didn't add up.

"It appears as though the swap only affected the wild creatures," he hypothesized. "That would explain why a great portion of the Pokémon and our Digimon were unaffected. Why, I can't be certain." Only wild creatures? Define wild.

"If that's true, wouldn't we still be stuck in the Pokémon World with those Digimon?" Gatomon wondered. Interesting theory.

"Actually, you and Kari and Mimi and Palmon entered voluntarily, meaning that you could enter and leave whenever you liked." That could somewhat give a suggestion on why some of the Digimon already in the Pokémon World were unaffected. "In a sense, any Digimon that's attached to a Digivice or D-3 would be protected by a connection to their Digidestined." This had Cynthia make a concept on why Pokémon were still where they should be.

"This would simulate that any Pokémon that was attached to a Pokéball would not be mysteriously transported to the DigiWorld because of said connection," she summarized. In a sense, captured Pokémon and trained Digimon were unaccounted for in the switch. That's when Kari had a contradiction.

"Hold on!" she spoke up. All turned to the brunette, wondering what she had to say. "When the switch occurred, my Sandile was still wild and it remained in the Pokémon World. It wasn't touched!" That's right! Sandile led the humans to the Yokomon by the spa resort. Izzy was interested in Kari's Sand Croc Pokémon.

"Really?" he questioned. "Can I see your Sandile?" Kari obliged and released Sandile with the sunglasses. Sandile was perplexed with the park setting. Izzy was fascinated with the eye wear on the Pokémon and reached for it. Sandile snapped and tried to eat Izzy's hand but the quick-thinking redhead yanked his hand before it was lunch. Izzy sighed in relief that his hand was still attached to his arm. "That was a little close." Kari knelt down to calm the agitated Pokémon.

"It's okay, Sandile. Izzy wants to examine your sunglasses, if you don't mind. He'll return it." Sandile was a little iffy about having someone other than it handling it's pair of specks. Yet the promise of having it returned and trusting it's new trainer seemed to weigh on Sandile's decision. Finally, it reached up and handed the pair to Izzy. "Thanks!" Sandile began to act rather nervous all of a sudden. What was so special about the sunglasses? Even the new brunette girl saw Sandile's awkward behavior.

"First time I've see a crocodile become a scared pussycat," she joked. That was cold. Even Ash thought it was a bit far.

"Maria, that was a little harsh," he murmured. Suddenly, there was a chime. It alerted all, including Izzy who firmly held Sandile's sunglasses. It was an e-mail.

TO: IZZY IZUMI

RE: URGENCY IN DENVER

Seeing the RE, Izzy realized it was someone they knew. "It's from Willis!" He opened the e-mail and read the content.

IZZY-THERE'S A GINORMOUS GREEN LIZARD CIRCLING THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. HERE'S A PHOTO OF THE LIZARD. I DOUBT IT'S A DIGIMON. -WILLIS

Not a Digimon? It had to be a Pokémon, right? Izzy clicked the photo link. It was a picture of a green snake-like dragon with tiny limbs. It was a long snake-like creature...one Ash, Max, Dawn and Cynthia realized what it was.

"That's Rayquaza!" they shouted in unison. That's when Dawn and Max glared at each other, surprised to know about it.

"You mean you met Rayquaza?" those two gasped at each other. "When did you see it?" There seemed to be a relation between Max and Dawn.

"Rayquaza?" Iris quizzically wondered. Ash got his Dex out, hit a few buttons before showing it to Iris.

"Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokémon," the Dex calculated with a picture of Rayquaza on it. "Rayquaza resides above the clouds in the ozone layer. If there is a disturbance within it's proximity, it will attack until the threat is neutralized." That's a scary description.

"Sorry I asked." Cynthia knew that she could deal with Rayquaza. Only problem: a ride.

"I can get over there and stop Rayquaza's rampage," she offered. "It's something a champion like me can handle." The pedigree won over Izzy's vote.

"That's not gonna be a problem," he plotted. "Davis, Ken..." Ken knew what the plan was.

"Got it, Izzy," he acknowledged without much of a discussion. "And with Veemon and Wormmon back to full strength, Denver will be easy to reach on Imperialdramon." Davis nodded, liking the plan.

"Let's do it!" he agreed. He reached for his pocket when his arm was snagged...by Dawn. Why was she?

"If you're going somewhere, take me with you," she pleaded. Davis' face burst red. Embarrassed, aren't we? Cynthia wanted to get moving, people!

"We _do_ have a situation on hand, Dawn," she advised. Dawn wasn't about to let go of it.

"I know, Cynthia. I don't want anything bad happening to my Davy, here!" Hearing nervous laughter from Davis had Sandile giggling a little bit.

"I'm not sure what's worse," Ash mumbled. "Davis' obsession with Kari or Dawn's obsession with Davis?" Tough call. Davis was pretty sure he, Ken and Cynthia would be fine.

"Thanks for caring a lot, Dawn," Davis sincerely praised. "But we will be back safe and sound. I promise." Dawn felt like going with his word...but still chose to give him a kiss. A farewell gift? The other girls awed the kiss while Izzy was taken aback.

"Davis, just bring her along," he optioned. "Otherwise, we might not hear the end of it." Without another word, Ken and Davis set up for creating Imperialdramon.

"Ready, guys?" Veemon and Wormmon were ready to go. Both boys presented their hand-held Digivices and presented them to their Digimon which began to glow and morph.

"Veemon digivolve to...ExVeemon!" Veemon chanted. Veemon was bigger with a wicked "V" on it's chest and had wings.

"Wormmon digivolve to...Stingmon!" Wormmon shouted as it changed to a human like form with a mantis as it's head. Suddenly...

"ExVeemon..."

"Stingmon..."

"...DNA digivolve to...Paildramon!" they called upon in unison. ExVeemon and Stingmon merged and became a taller version of ExVeemon with black mechanical armor around the legs, chest and arms. There was a red helmet with a visor over the eyes. Paildramon wasn't done. "Paildramon Megadigivolve to...Imperialdramon!" And there was Imperialdramon! _**"Next stop: Denver, Colorado, USA. Hop on!"**_ Davis, Ken, Dawn, Piplup and Cynthia boarded Imperialdramon which left for overseas. Izzy gave the sunglasses back to Sandile.

"I'd want to have another look at those sunglasses some other time, alright?" he wished. "Right now, we all need to get to my room and further study the reason why your Sandile and the Digimon like Tentomon aren't affected." Everyone agreed to the idea as Kari recalled Sandile back into it's Pokéball. Day turned to night in minutes for Dawn, Cynthia and the boys on the flight. Knowing that Rayquaza was causing a ruckus in the Rocky Mountains, her Champion title was going to be put to the test. Can Cynthia use her skills to quell the chaos? Also, what link could Sandile's snazzy sunglasses provide to understand why only the wild creatures swapped areas and not owned ones? The answers could be rather disbelieving.

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<p> 


	7. Denver & Complications

_Chapter 7: Denver & Complication_

* * *

><p>As if the crisis between both worlds weren't bad enough, a Pokémon had appeared over the Rocky Mountains...Rayquaza. Entering the night skies, Imperialdramon arrived on American lands over the Pacific Ocean. Cynthia, Dawn, Davis and Ken were approaching a signal on a device. Each beep kept getting closer to the bottom of the screen. "We'll be there in a minute," Davis announced. Dawn noticed how dark the sky was. Just moments before, there was sunlight.<p>

"Why did it get dark all of a sudden?" Dawn wondered. Apparently, the change in areas wasn't too familiar to her.

"We're in a different time zone than back in Odaiba," Ken answered. "There is a 14-hour difference between home and Denver." The group may have made it to Denver in mere minutes but it may take a couple of hours to adjust to the new setting, no pun intended.

"I wonder how the Broncos did this year," Davis wondered. "I got word that they had dominated the West." Broncos? West?

"Can we leave American Football out of this? There's a pandemic we need to resolve before you can invite her to Mile High Stadium."

"Mile High does sound cool but it doesn't compare to Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, home of the Patriots." True but if you want historic...Lambeau Field, home of the Packers. Sorry about that, it's that inner sports fan. Anyway, Imperialdramon landed where a blond boy in a red open baseball jersey and jean shorts, not Daisy Dukes thankfully, waived down to it while being joined by a white rabbit with very long ears and a horn. That's when Rayquaza swooped above Imperialdramon and forced all to the ground in precaution.

"Rayquaza seems restless," Cynthia studied. "Being in a new environment must not sit well with him." Dawn realized it as well.

"Ray what?" the new blond tried to repeat. This was someone who hasn't caught up with the details.

"Rayquaza!" Dawn corrected. "It's a Pokémon!" The blond looked perplexed.

"P-Pokémon? You don't mean those things roaming around the DigiWorld?" The very same. Cynthia stood up and grasped a Pokéball. What did the champion have up her sleeve?

"Time for a Champion to put her title to the test," she sneered. "Garchomp, assist us!" She tossed her ball out and released a blackish beast with a shark-like face which appeared to have rockets for ears and wings sewn under their arms. The abdomen was red with a yellow under and spikes protruding from the forearms and shins. Rayquaza raced in and fired a yellow beam right at Garchomp. "Stone Edge!" Garchomp did it's own version of Stone Edge and fired. The attacks collided in the middle, exploding in a cloud of fire and smoke. Even strength. Rayquaza swooped low, aiming for it's opponent. "Intercept with Dragon Rush!" Garchomp flew up before falling and crushing the Sky High Pokémon in a veil of sky blue. The impact rocked Rayquaza and it was having some issues rising back to the air.

"That Dragon Rush looked like it hit a weak spot!" Dawn figured. That could explain Rayquaza's difficulties.

"Rayquaza, calm down!" The Dragon-Type Pokémon finally rose back up and roared loudly, scaring little Piplup. "Guess I got no choice, do I? I have to defeat you in order for you to understand." That's when something was starting to shine from the Pokémon's mouth. A white ball of energy? "Garchomp, Draco Meteor! Aim for the mouth!" Garchomp charged a sphere of orange energy before firing it out. The sphere reached Rayquaza's glowing orb. Oh boy! KABOOM! The collision of energy ruptured into a powerful pulsing blast. Rayquaza took the full force of both ends, catapulting it back and landing on the snowy grounds. It was a mild night in the mountains of Colorado but Cynthia was on fire. Rayquaza? Out cold.

"I guess the threat's over," the blond believed. The other Digidestined wanted to agree. Cynthia proceeded to treat Rayquaza's injuries as it was slowly waking back up.

"Take it easy. I wasn't trying to hurt you." You sure, Cynthia? "I know that you're agitated because this isn't familiar to you. We are working to try and fix the problem." Rayquaza seemed to acknowledge her concern.

"If a legendary Pokémon can find it's way to Earth," Dawn theorized. "Who knows what they can do and what kind of trouble they'll cause." It's a scary thought.

"I'm sure that we'll be able to take care of anything that appears to cause trouble," Ken reassured. Dawn wanted to take his word but still had her doubts. That's when two brown uniformed rangers entered the scene as Rayquaza soared back up to the sky. The rangers were startled with the exit of the green dragon Pokémon.

"What _is_ that?" one ranger stuttered in fear.

"I don't know," the other shrugged. "But I think it's another of those monsters from the Christmas chaos months ago." That's when the first ranger eyed the blond boy.

"Willis!" Everyone now faced the rangers fast approaching.

"Ranger Rodriguez!" named Willis to the redhead ranger, the second speaking ranger. "Ranger Zed!" Zed was the first one, a brunette like Davis.

"Willis, what was that?" Rodriguez wondered. "A Digimon?" Not quite.

"We'll explain back at the post. It's better with some light." Feeling that Willis knew what the deal was, the rangers led the heroes back to their shack for evaluation. Back over in Odaiba where it's still sunny, the same wasn't really on Kari who wandered out of Izzy's home. She decided to get some food for her and Mimi to cook for a big feast. She walked onto a bridge and stood, peering a railing. Something about that railing gave Kari nostalgia.

'This was where I wondered about Ash's feelings for Yolei,' she remembered. 'I guess...this is where I began to wonder...if maybe...' Deep in thought, she began to storm a flashback...just without the flash.

* * *

><p><em>(Flashback)<em>

_Ash, in a different, full blue sweat-tee, stood on the same bridge. Cars whizzed below him. The cars passing by, he reminded himself of all the journeys that he had back at his world. Kari spotted Ash on the bridge, looking so lonely. She climbed the steps to reach Ash, things wanting to get off of her flat chest. __"Even when you're not on an adventure, do you wander everywhere?" she boasted. Ash heard and turned to the brunette. She walked to his side, an open book with blank pages._

_"Are you saying that I should remain in one place at all times?" he sneered. Kari chuckled, a humorous sign that she was still okay. "So, that Caterpie evolved into Metapod?"_

_"He did give me a scare. I should rely on Bulbasaur more often." Not really one of the reasons Ash was a great trainer, but it didn't deter him. "By the way, Cody told me about the audio that you got to hear alongside Yolei and Izzy. You've got some sorta dilemma on your shoulders." _

_"It's not a cakewalk, that's for sure. To learn that those responsible were those that I trust..." The sigh of betrayal. Kari began to show concern. "I mean, what if one of your Digidestined teammates started backstabbing you? Not being offensive, but you do look like someone who'd be greatly hurt, physically and emotionally, when you realize why." Kari mulled the thought of being betrayed by her friends. She was such a kindhearted girl to be distrusted by her peers._

_"You saying that it's happened to you in the past?" With Ash bringing the possibility of betrayal, he had to have instances of such cold acts._

_"A few times, one involving Prof. Oak's grandson, Gary. We were best friends until it was time to become trainers. He began to mouth off that he was better at Pokémon than I was. We were great friends and one little squabble..." Enough said. Kari got the message._

_"Sorry I asked." She wasn't the only one who needed to apologize._

_"No, my fault for bringing it up." Both shared some giggles. Ash began his plot for his return. "Well, we need to get in touch with Prof. Elm over in New Bark Town and over to Shamuti Isle to see the telepathic Lugia about where everyone's gone." It was the mission of when Pallet Town became a Ghost Town. That's when Kari decided to change the subject._

_"It's good to see you back to yourself. Is it okay if I ask a question?" Ash nodded. "What do you see in Yolei?" It did take a moment for Ash to answer truthfully._

_"It was...me overreacting. I can't really say that I've fallen for her." That's a twist. "I...don't see myself as a romantic heartthrob. I'm a trainer. I travel the regions to be the best. Hunting, capturing and training Pokémon, battling and competing against other trainers...that was suppose to be the daily grind that I was hoping to be comfortable with. And yet, here I am, being a detective in a multi-person missing/abduction case in a new world. Life can be an adventure on its own." Truer words couldn't be more well spoken. "I only hope that as soon as we're done, I can resume my passion to be a master." Kari kept feeling the ever-growing confidence billowing from his spirit. However, she sensed something wrong with Ash's background._

_"I don't know. I think you're contradicting something," she sneered as she approached Ash. Ash turned to face Kari, which may have been what she was wanting. Leaning in...SMOOCH! Kari connected lips with Ash and she didn't want to let him go. Ash wanted to part lips but thought otherwise._

* * *

><p>Kari could swear that she can taste Ash's lips. Yet she felt competed with Mimi also favoring Ash. What could she do? Was it worth the trouble? She now placed herself where Ash stood those months ago, gazing at the cars zooming by under her. Her feelings for Ash weighed heavily toward the friendships of the other Digidestened, including big brother Tai. She liked him, but didn't want to hurt her other friends. Yolei liked him. Mimi liked him. Maria and Catherine liked him. Heck, anyone from here on Earth would want him as a boyfriend. He'd have a better time here than back in that cruel world with the Pokémon. "Kari!" sounded her cat Digimon. Kari jerked her head to see Gatomon as well as Max and Catherine.<p>

"_Mademoiselle Kari, __ç__a va?"_ wondered the blond. Kari wasn't too about answering the French girl. Perhaps she didn't understand French. She understood Mandarin.

"I'm not sure..." was her halfhearted reply. Not sure about what?

"Kari, we're all worried about you," Max tried to persuade. "Look, I know that Ash wanted to give you and Mimi a good time that was ruined by this emergency. Ash doesn't feel bothered by it knowing that there's help." That wasn't the case, Max. Good try, though.

"I'm just conflicted. I..." Kari stood up from leaning on that rail. "I like Ash and want to tell him...but I don't wanna hurt my Digidestined friends, especially Mimi. I know how much she liked Ash when Davis told me about their stop in New York." Sounded a little more than just a like.

"Just tell him your feelings," Catherine suggested. "I'm sure he'll understand. If you don't, how will he know your feelings?" Pretty straightforward.

"And besides, Mimi's all over Ritchie," Max added. "Dawn's on Davis...there's no way you can lose." Sound advice. Perhaps they're right. Kari had been letting everyone else have a piece when she was unsure if her out-of-world friend was really compatible for her. She wasn't doubting how her friends, but herself.

"What have I been doing to myself?" she questioned her choices. "I guess this is what happens when I don't check the whole story. Ash is selfless. It didn't matter if Ash was home in Pallet Town or Odaiba or even New York City, his compassion for others...I was fearful of what his heart wanted when it's my heart that should have been in question." The other three felt the overwhelming query from Kari. She was there for Ash when his hometown was abandoned. He was there for her invite to Ken's Christmas party which went south due to the Digimon invasion. In a sense, they needed each other for their stressful situations.

"Kari, if it works, I can be with Pikachu as well," Gatomon sneered after climbing on her shoulder. "I'm sure Ash and Pikachu feel the same way when you spill the beans." Unanimously, they all wanted what Kari had to do. Unfortunately, she wouldn't get the chance.

"Love," grunted a man. "Another emotion to pollute the world." The kids and Gatomon spun to see a spiky teal-haired man in a grayish jumpsuit which had a yellow "G" emblem over his chest. His face had seen better days. It looked somewhat skeletal. The kids were startled, possibly due to the face. Gatomon snarled defensively, trying to protect her partner.

"Who are you?" Max asked. The man slowly made his approach.

"I am a deity. A messiah that omits emotions from simple joy to frustration to sadness. I also seek judgment to one human." The "deity" had bloody red eyes that glown and skin paler than a ghost. "And I know how to lure him into my...special courtroom." The gaze was focused on Kari. This was bad news. Kari feared him now that he extended his hand out. He wanted her to get to Ash? Speaking of, Ash and Mimi were feeding their Pokémon alongside Kari's Oshawott and Sandile. Izzy was monitoring his computer, checking on the progress of the DigiWorld and scanning for anything that may have caused the monsters to switch worlds. That's when a program that he activated rang up numerous files which seemed to startle the redhead.

"Prodigious!" he yelped. All in the room jerked to Izzy, believing he discovered something.

"What did you find, Izzy?" Iris wondered.

"Check this out." He used his mouse and blew the window to full screen. It looked like a ton of random numbers and letters. What was so special about it. "As a computer intellect, I know about programs known to hack into other computers. I believe what I found is a virus, and not the Digimon kind." A different virus altogether?

"Does it explain the switch of the Digimon and Pokémon?" Mimi asked.

"It's too soon to tell. However, I've been able to monitor it to see who's been struck. You might not believe how much damage it's already caused." He minimized the text screen and booted up a world map. The map had huge splotches of red with purple arrows pointing on certain areas. "According to this map, this virus has hit Tokyo, Sydney, Washington, London, Rio...The viruses are only aiming at the supercomputers in the capitals to ruin virus guard and spyware programs from proper functioning. It's like assassins onto their unsuspecting targets." This virus was trying to cripple the world's technology.

"It sounds like this virus came from a backdoor and started it's handiwork," Ritchie ponderd. "However, it doesn't explain why only the wild creatures were swapped and none of those owned." It was a good point. That's when Ash thought up something.

"I think that was it's intention," he spoke. Now everyone turned to Ash, anxious to hear his theory. "What I mean is that if wild creatures got tangled with trained and owned creatures like wild Digimon to trained Pokémon, it would confuse the humans who would believe that there were no differences between each. Those who've seen both sides like all of us know the significant characters Digimon and Pokémon possess." Even Iris had to be appreciating Ash's hypothesis of the switch.

"What kind of world do you live in?" she teased. Guess not. "That theory is so long-winded, I would have used a Tranquil to glide in it. Seriously, what a little kid." Iris may not have agreed to it...but Maria had a different say.

"He's got a strong point about it!" she disagreed. "This isn't about monster chaos but human reaction." Iris couldn't believe Maria would agree with Ash's saying. "Think about it, Iris. If you hadn't met up with Gatomon and Palmon before the switching occurred, would you know what to do when confronted by a Digimon?" Hit with this question, Iris fumbled what to say.

"Well...I, uh..." Clueless. You hate to have that happen to you. From all we knew, she could still be aching when Zoey snapped at her.

"It's a nice theory to come up with, Ash," Ritchie huffed. "Perhaps you can provide us with proof." Ash grinned, expecting some sort of questionnaire.

"Take Willis and his spotting of Rayquaza," he pointed out. "Did he know what a Pokémon looked like? And how about when Pallet Town was attacked by LadyDevimon?" Two moments when both worlds collided. That's when Ash thought up something else. "Now that I think about it, I doubt the invasions of Digimon on Earth and in Pallet were coincidental. I think those were test runs to see how people would react to sudden panic. This switched event was a full operation to tear everything apart." Huh... And we all believed Izzy was the brains. Palmon wanted to make sure she heard Ash correctly.

"You're saying that the Digidestined were suppose to attack the Pokémon and the trainers on the Digimon?" she feared. "Do you know how wrong that sounds?" Wrong? How about dangerous.

"Let's say Ash is on the money about this," Maria thought up. "Who would be crazy enough to do it?A Harvard student executing a Trojan attack worldwide?" That's a stretch. Before anyone else could think of what was the case, Catherine, Max and Gatomon bashed through the door in a panic...without Kari! That can't be good.

"_Monsieur Ash!_" the French girl gasped. "_Nous avons un probl__è__me!_" In English, Catherine, you can use that tongue.

"Kari's been kidnapped!" Max blurted. That's why Kari's not there. That teal-haired man has her. The others shrieked in dismay. Ash got to the group's side to get answers.

"Who kidnapped her?" he growled. When he finds out, he'll be stunned but the real surprise may be who the kidnapper may not be.

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<p> 


	8. Galactic & Darkness

_Chapter 8: Galactic & Darkness_

* * *

><p>"Who kidnapped her?" Ash growled. Max and Catherine struggled in knowing who took Kari. With everything occurring in such short timing, distractions would complicate matters. This was a big distraction.<p>

"We don't know who he is," Max pleaded. If Ash had no description, how could he save Kari? "He had spiky cyan hair and a gray jumpsuit!" Cyan hair? Gray jumpsuit? That was familiar to Ash. "He stuck his hand out and a blast of wind knock all of us into a wall before he took Kari." There was one question on Ash's mind.

"Was there a yellow 'G' on that jumpsuit?" It was of significant importance.

"_Oui!"_ Catherine confirmed in some unrelenting panic. Ash had flashbacks of the same guy. If he's the one who kidnapped Kari, Ash realized how much peril she was in while he was in dismay.

"Dawn, Brock, Cynthia and I saw him enter that new galaxy! He's here? He's alive?" Who? A nostalgic emotion began to rattle Ash as the others wonder who the kidnapper was.

"Who's here?" Iris wondered. Ash was pretty distraught to respond. He thought the man in question was dead.

"If it helps, can you start from the top?" Maria suggested. The offer gave Ash a way to calm down and inform the rest, trying to find a way to locate Kari. Izzy got e-mails out to the Digimon Peace Corps in the Pokémon World to see if they've seen the missing brunette girl.

"Back when I was in the Sinnoh Region, Dawn, Brock and I were dealing with more than new friends like Zoey and Cynthia and old enemies like Team Rocket," he recanted. "There was an organization called Team Galactic. Unlike Team Rocket, their mission was to gather the necessary equipment to create a new universe, supposedly free of feelings and emotions. The Adamant Orb, the Lustrous Orb and the Spear Key were the three items used to help create a new world. All they needed were a few Pokémon: the Legendary Trio of Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit and summoning Dialga and Palkia. All came together in Spear Pillar in Mt. Coronet where Galactic used the Red Chain to enslave and obey their commands. We freed the Legendary Trio when the other two Pokémon tore open a fabric of space. We were unable to stop Cyrus from entering that hole but did convince Dialga and Palkia to destroy it before Mt. Coronet became the epicenter of destruction. The rest of Team Galactic was arrested and Cyrus was no longer a bother...at least until now."

If Ash was finding this hard to believe, the others were having a more staggering time trying to contemplate the ordeal. "Impossible!" Izzy studied. "There's no way anyone can create a new galaxy by hand. Anyone brainless to even think about it would be committing suicide." Let's say that's true...

"But if he did enter that space, how is he still alive?" Maria pointed out. That's when Izzy had an idea.

"Maybe he didn't go into space and instead...he's in that forbidden area in the DigiWorld." A forbidden area? Could any of the Pokémon Peace Corps Division have been there?

"What's the forbidden area?" Ritchie asked. It could be important.

"Technically, it's not really a forbidden area. It's an area where color is mostly absent and the setting will test anyone's mentality. It's called the Dark Ocean. It gets it's name from the lighthouse that shines a black light out to the waters." A creepy place. "This was before LadyDevimon discovered and wreaked havoc in the Pokémon World. TK and Kari told me about what the location in the DigiWorld looked like. After the Pallet Town invasion, we stopped Ken and his Digimon-esque Frankenstein and found out the Dark Ocean was where he ended up days after Ken's brother was killed in an automobile versus human collision caused by a reckless teen and when he ended up with the Dark Spore later spread by Arukenimon and Mummymon." Some story. Max was curious about some detail.

"How does someone have access to the Dark Ocean?" he asked. Izzy had a long and hard thought about how to find the Dark Ocean.

"When Kari found the Dark Ocean, she was going through strange dreams about Digimon calling for help. When Ken found it, Digimon told him they would comfort Sam's death. For some reason, dark Digimon are trying to contact humans. But if the case that Cyrus found the Dark Ocean, he would've been called by a dark Digimon himself." But to Ash, that seemed highly unlikely.

"Not to question your intelligence, Izzy," he groaned. "But Cyrus wouldn't have any affiliation with Digimon unless he heard about it on the news and that would've been the time of LadyDevimon's attack." It seemed to be a dead end.

"There's gotta be a way to reach Kari," Gatomon pleaded. "If we don't..." Ash wanted to do something but what? He thought to where the kidnapping occurred.

"Catherine, Max, where was Kari taken from?" The two witnesses were able to recall the location.

"It was a bridge where you and Kari were having heart-to-heart," Catherine mentioned. Ash wanted to head there.

"_Merci beaucoup!"_ On that note, Ash dashed out the door on his way to the bridge with...

"Ash, wait up!" Mimi yelled as she and the two Digimon trailed. Iris, Max, Maria and Ritchie also followed Ash out to the bridge. When they arrived, Ash stood there. He reached his destination. What, was he expecting to see Kari's kidnapper like that?

"You ran all the way here without a serious thought about how to approach the situation?" Iris exaggerated. "Good heavens! You are such a kid!" Axew continued to mock Ash;s poor planning. Even Max couldn't help but joke at the issue.

"I knew all those years traveling with Brock would mount somehow!" he proclaimed. Ash reached the railing, the same railing Kari was on...and stuck out his hand over the railing with his eyes closed. He seemed to be concentrating.

"He's gonna try using his aura," Mimi realized. Iris, Catherine and Maria were wondering what Mimi was referring to.

"Aura?" Maria blankly repeated. Before Max could explain, Ash was emitting a veil of light blue. It covered his entire body. "I think he's looking for that spot where Kari was taken." Very likely possibility. Suddenly, Ash heard a voice. He would be the only one.

"_Ash!" _sounded a fearful Kari. _"Help! The beach!"_ Ash's eyes snapped open. The veil vanished. To the others, Ash might have found something.

"Ash!" Mimi called out. "Speak to us!"

"Did you find something?" Iris questioned. Ash quickly twisted to see the rest.

"The beach!" he snapped. None of the younger ones knew what he said. Mimi had an idea.

"Over here!" she led. Mimi sprinted toward the beach with the others behind her. When they arrived, all they saw was sand, the ocean and a lighthouse in the distance. Ash activated his aura once again. That's when the veil wrapped around something else. A circular space was visible for all to see.

"You're kidding, right?" Max shuttered. That's when the circle was cracking. Pressure? CRASH! The aura broke something~! Ash has to pay for it~! The crushing of the "plate" produced a tear in the middle of the air. Inside, the image was lacking color just like Izzy mentioned. Location found.

"This is it, guys," he gritted. "Now or never." All had a running jump into the portal. On the other side, something was amiss. No Ash, Gatomon or Pikachu. They were in a thick forest with possible Digimon to pop out and attack. Everything was gray-scaled, even the kids.

"This forest is giving me the creeps," Maria shivered. "I wish I was back in Manhattan!" They all wished they were somewhere else but where they were. Iris didn't want to stand around and do nothing so she leaped onto the trees.

"I'm gonna find a way out," she made her choice. "You guys hang back until we find an opening!" As Iris gone tree-hopping, Ash and the first couple of this story opened their eyes. Gray sand, gray water, gray skies...

"The Dark Ocean," Ash studied. "It's not as bad as Izzy claims it to be." Easily amused.

"Yeah, Team Rocket would be fitting nice and cozy with a headquarters hidden in here," Pikachu joked. Their mission wasn't to find a spot to live in. It was to find Cyrus. That's when Ash snagged a Pokéball...but he hasn't caught a Pokémon from the Unova Region.

"When did you get Pokémon from the ranch?" the kitty Digimon wondered.

"During the arrival of the Sinnoh Now helicopter," he replied. It must have been during his call to Tracy. "Noctowl, I choose you!" The Pokéball opened after he threw it, releasing a small owl but because of the area, there was description of color but there were sparkles emitting from it.

"Here we go!" it beaked loudly. Somehow, it didn't feel affected that it was able to talk like Ash.

"Noctowl, go and find the others!"

"Got it!" Noctowl flew off in search of the others who followed. Gatomon was a bit incensed. They needed to look for Kari, not the others.

"What are you doing?" she barked. Weird for a cat to bark. Regardless... "We need to be looking for Kari!" Maybe Ash had a plan. Or maybe the plan was walking toward them.

"Tell me if that isn't Kari's abductor." Gatomon and Pikachu twisted around and saw Cyrus from far away. Gatomon hissed angrily at the kidnapper with Pikachu by her side. Ash was a little stunned to see the head of Team Galactic slowly approached the three. Cyrus ignored the animals and focused his nonchalant stare at Ash. Ash gazed at Cyrus with fire blazing in his eyes.

"We meet again, child," he greeted in a monotone. "You may be surprised to see me. I can tell from your reaction." Ash lowly seethed. "Your emotion will begin to pollute this world, free of all that infects the heart of humans." Pikachu didn't like Cyrus' composure.

"Every living thing has emotions!" he squeaked. "If you do not have feelings, you can't be alive!" The sheer frustration of Pikachu and his tone failed to shutter the head of Team Galactic.

"Emotions are irrelevant to whether a person exists or not. As long it makes action, it's living." He's missing a point. "Still, I cannot help but wonder why the Legendary Trio chose you. Azelf... Mesprit... Uxie..." We're back to that topic? It's in the past.

"They called us for help from you," Ash snapped. "Now it's my turn. Where's Kari? And why did you take her?" Cyrus continued to hold his composure.

"Her presence is irrelevant compared to our discussion." Funny he mentioned that, yet he never yield an emotion.

"Interesting. You're mentioning irrelevance when Kari has nothing to do with why you would capture her." The Galactic leader wouldn't disagree with Ash's explanation.

"Perhaps..." Now something didn't feel right with the situation and Pikachu felt it.

"Ash, I think we're talking to a dead man," he warned nervously. Unlikely since he looked like he was alive and standing there. That hypothesis presented Ash with an idea.

"Pikachu, I know there can't be any human-to-human fighting in the Pokémon World, right?" he reviewed a policy. Pikachu knew that Ash was scheming something.

"Yeah, but we're not-" The Electric Mouse Pokémon figured out Ash's theory. "Are you sure?" Ash did a nod before approaching Cyrus.

"If you desire a world free of emotion, why would you need someone who's full of emotion? It doesn't make sense!" Cyrus? Cool as a cucumber.

"My methods are none of your concern," he dissed. Ash softly shook his head,

"As a member of the Pokémon/Digimon Peace Corp, it_ is_ my concern. For instance..." That's when he sprinted, hand undressed and in a fist. KAPOW~! Heavy hook to the jaw. That was a wicked hard swing from the Pallet Town's trainer. But it was when he decked Cyrus, something was not right to him. He hopped back to the creatures while Cyrus was reeling from that swing. His knuckles felt ice cold. His face was of horror. It was as if Cyrus' skin wasn't human.

"What's wrong?" Gatomon wondered. Ash should have trusted Pikachu on this.

"I think Pikachu's right. That's not really Cyrus." Gatomon and Pikachu were in disbelief. If that's not Cyrus...

"That was a pretty good right hook there...little boy," a familiar male voice sneered...and it wasn't Cyrus. Gatomon's fur and whiskers erected at the dismayed sound of nostalgia.

"It...It can't be!" she shivered. The voice laughed cold nerves onto Ash and the pets. A scowl that would rival Trip, Ash seethed at the identity of the noise.

"And my friends tease me about being stubborn, Myotismon," he figured out. The man scoffed, even though he's been found out.

"I'm stubborn? Try the Digidestined. They fail to understand that evil cannot be completely destroyed. Considering my appearance, I'm like the Dracula of Digimon; it doesn't matter how many stakes you shove into my heart, I'll still rise from the depths of the fiery pits below." How are you suppose to stop someone who's immune to death itself? It was a riddle that was about to get more complicated. "Besides, I'm not alone. There's another Digimon that you've met before." Another Digimon? This can't be good. A female snicker, weird to hear from a male, bellowed from the enemy.

"It's about time I get my revenge for when we first met," the familiar voice scolded. One bad guy or Digimon invading one body is bad enough. Two?

"LadyDevimon?" Pikachu recognized. "Didn't we leave your broken data in the Togepi Paradise?" A moment from the past, LadyDevimon scoffed the memory.

"Ah, yes. Your human used those orbs to neutralize me and nearly himself. First the ice to reverse my attack, the lightning and finally, fire to finish me off. However, Digimon don't stay vaporized for long and thanks to you stupid humans, I acquired this body before Myotismon's plans were rerouted. Fortunately, I helped find a gateway back to the Dark Ocean via the Spear Pillar." So Team Galactic was a ruse? LadyDevimon hijacked Cyrus' body to fool his associates about forming a new galaxy and the Pokémon only helped opened it?

"So then, where's the real Cyrus?" Ash wondered, feeling disbelieved.

"I know what you're accusing us of," Myotismon guessed. "But LadyDevimon told me that the poor fool passed away from a rare form of cancer." Cyrus was dead before LadyDevimon possessed him? What a way to destroy one's dignity.

"The act of an emotionless man should have hinted you to the concept that he was a walking animated corpse, a zombie per say," LadyDevimon conemplated. "But you all were stupid to think he was alive the whole time. Plus, your rules not to attack another human meant I...or we were safe from discovering our true selves." You have to admit, this plan was played to perfection. No one suspected a thing. Even Ash had to chuckle at the work the two performed undercover. That or the world was getting to his head.

"I'm impressed," he coughed. "Getting to the Digital World from the Pokémon World is excruciatingly tough to pull off." The two inside the dead man's body were rather befuddled with the raven-haired boy's response. "You had all this technology in Sinnoh to create chaos yet you couldn't have picked a more difficult journey to get here." Myotismon and LadyDevimon couldn't understand what Ash was babbling about. "Lemme tell you how I got to the DigiWorld: a cavern near my hometown. There!" In a bizarre sense, LadyDevimon and Myotismon wasted millions, if not billions, in every gadget and hiring when all they had to do was go to Pallet Town and find the cave, no overusing man-made tools. This irritated the two.

"You mock us? Perhaps what we did may have been useless to you...but there's something we did learn from the Digimon and the Digidestined: DNA Digivolution!" The sound made the three nervous while Iris and Axew arrived at the sight. That's when the body was cocooned in a black veil of light. It was morphing. Whatever it was, Ash, Pikachu and Gatomon were in trouble. Whatever came out of that corpse, it wasn't going to be good.

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED...<p> 


	9. Dragons & Tears

_Chapter 9: Dragons & Tears_

* * *

><p>Kari's missing somewhere in the Dark Ocean and the protector was a pair of Digimon possessing the corpse of a man who died sometime in the past. Now, Ash, Pikachu and Gatomon were facing a dark force, overpowering with the scene to it's advantage. The man was morphing and growing huge at a swift, alarming rate. When it stopped glowing in the cocoon of black, it emerged like a giant black Chinese dragon with long vampire fangs and it's eyes filled so blood red, there was no iris or pupil visible. It let out a mighty roar. <em><strong>"I am DarkDragomon!" <strong>_it announced. Iris, waiting in the trees, freaked out at the size of the new Digimon. Surely, Axew wouldn't stand a chance against something like that. DarkDragomon faced the three on the beach, certain demise on it's mind. Meanwhile, Izzy's computer screen flickered and snowed.

"What's going on!" he asked as Cynthia, Dawn, Davis and Ken returned from Denver, as well as Veemon, Wormmon and Piplup.

"Izzy, is something wrong?" Ken wondered. Soon the screen cleared up...only to view Ash facing up DarkDragomon.

"That's not good, even by Virus Digimon standards," Veemon seethed. There are standards to Virus Digimon? Izzy struggled to get an identity on this new Digimon.

"I thought Apocalymon was bad news," he compared. "MaloMyotismon a close second but this is anything but good." Soon, data emerged about DarkDragomon. "Oh no... it's a DNA fused Digimon of-" Yeah, he's in disbelief. So is everyone else. "Impossible! They're destroyed in the Pokémon World!" Right?

"Myotismon and LadyDevimon?" Dawn read. "And they became DarkDragomon?" She read the stats of the new threat. "A fierce Mega Level Digimon with destructive power that can destroy any Digimon in one strike and absorb the data to maintain it's demigod-like powers. It's attacks are Gargoyle Wing, Flame of Ruin and Nightmare Eruption." Those sound like scary attacks.

"We need to get to the DigiWorld if only to protect our friends," Cynthia ordered. One that Izzy was about to shut down.

"No can do!" he denied. "Where DarkDragomon and Ash are, it's not in the DigiWorld!" That's debilitating. Cynthia peered at Ash, trying to muster his bravery despite the obvious size differences.

"He's doomed." To Cynthia's eyes, Ash had no chance to survive, let alone win against DarkDragomon. "Even a miracle won't save him." Cynthia's really cold toward Ash's situation.

"I wouldn't be selling Ash that short just yet," Davis disagreed. "He's got something under his short sleeves, he always does." Studying the situation, Ken was getting suspicious about what unfolded to put Ash in that spot.

"Can I ask how they got to the Dark Ocean in the first place?" he pointed out. Izzy remembered the whole argument before all havoc rose.

"Apparently, Cyrus survived whatever took place on Mt. Coronet and kidnapped Kari," he explained. That outraged Davis, already assuming that Ash failed to protect Kari. Hey, she's been the focus of his life when he saw her the first time and has been since, regardless that she's chosen Ash.

"How could he?" he roared. "Kari should have been protected the entire time! Get that Digiport open!" Did he already forget that Izzy can't open the world to the Dark Ocean?

"I told you, I can't open the port to the Dark Ocean! And besides, there were others who checked in with Kari and they were powerless to stop him. So would you and Ken!" To Izzy, Davis wouldn't stand a chance against Cyrus, let alone DarkDragomon. Back at the Dark Ocean, doom faced Ash. This monster of a Digimon sneered it's venomous breath in Ash's direction, knowing full well that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"_**Face it, little boy,"**_ it exaggerated it's position. **_"The moment you chased after me was the moment you and those feeble creatures sealed your fates!" _**Gatomon sensed that DarkDragomon wasn't actually taunting. He was speaking the truth.

"Even if I can Digivolve, DarkDragomon's way too powerful to stop and I don't even think Shakkuomon would even dent it," she studied in fear. Ash gazed hard at the giant villainous dragon Digimon. He knew that it wasn't going to be a cakewalk to stop DarkDragomon.

"We'll win," he muttered. Gatomon and Pikachu gasped, unsure if Ash's head was in the right angle. He had that determined grit on his face.

"Ash, he's way too big for even Volt Tackle to do any damage!" Pikachu tried to reason with Ash. Ash had the look to say that the bigger they were, the harder they fell but the other two saw DarkDragomon as too big to handle. It never wavered on Ash once. That's death wish material right there.

"We've faced these two before. We beat them before, we'll beat them again." DarkDragomon scoffed at Ash's undying confidence.

"_**You're about to be destroyed and yet you think with that little brain that you can defeat me?" **_it cackled. **_"You've got a lot, maybe too much, of guts to face me and say that I can't tear you to confetti." _**The undaunted Ash activated his aura when something sparkled in his coat pocket. Ash reached in and pulled out a hand-held Digivice similar to what Davis and Ken used. Iris was wondering if maybe he was using that Digivice for something that was pointless to picture.

"Whatever you're doing Ash, it's not going to work," she pointed out as well. Man, no one but Davis has any faith that Ash could stop DarkDragomon.

"Gatomon," Ash called down. Gatomon recognized the Digivice that Ash had when she turned to him.

"That's Kari's D3!" she gasped. "How did-"

"She left it on the table." That's how Ash had Kari's device? Okay.

"_**So you have Kari's Digivice,"**_ DarkDragomon nagged. **_"It's a useless device in any other hands than it's rightful owner."_** It may be evil but it does raise a strong point. Ash grinned up to the evil Digimon. He seemed to know something that no one else did.

"There's more to who's Digivice it belongs to. It's how it's used." That's when the D3 screen lit up. "And I'm giving Gatomon a little extra power!" That's when a surprised Gatomon started emitting light from her body. She felt a force that she was having difficulty handling.

"What's this...what's this building up inside me!" she gasped, her body tightening from the continuing flow of increasing power. Before she knew what to do, she was beginning to morph and grow in the shining light. "Gatomon Warp Digivolve to...Magnadramon!" Gatomon became a giant pinkish Chinese dragon with a lioness head. Two giant dragon Digimon and now all who were in the Dark Ocean could see it. That was the only color

"What is that!" Max gasped at the two dragons. No one had a clue, not even the Digidestined.

"_Je ne sais pas!" _Catherine struggled to know. "I may be Digidestined from Paris, but this is the first time seeing these Digimon!"

"I'm with you there, sister!" Maria acknowledged. Well, let's learn about Gatomon's digivolved form.

"_**I am Magnadramon, the Holy Dragon Digimon that cleanses the world of evil intent," **_ it presented itself. **_"Those who hearts are pure will not be afraid to support like my friends, Ash and Pikachu. My Fire Tornado will scorch those who inflict despair to the innocent."_** Magnadramon sounded like a fierce Digimon not to be tormented with.

"_**How!"**_ DarkDragomon stuttered. **_"You cannot Digivolve without your Digidestined partner! It's against the rules!"_**

"_**That's where you're wrong, DarkDragomon! It's not who that should provide the power, it's who's willing to give the power to correct the wrongs of those who seek pain onto others. Yes, Ash is not a Digidestined, let alone have possession of me. However, he's willing to sacrifice his power to stop you, once and for all." **_Ash felt confident with letting Magnadramon deal with DarkDragomon that he was ready to rescue Kari. Magnadramon felt the same. **_"Ash, let me deal with this fiend. Go and retrieve Kari." _**Ash nodded as he snagged two more Pokéballs from his belt. The throw.

"Totodile, Buizel, I choose you!" he summoned. The two balls opened and released a baby crocodile on it back and a weasel that wore a tiny floatation ring around it's neck.

"Playtime, playtime!" the crocodile cheered and danced.

"Ready, boss!" the weasel grinned. The two stopped themselves, realizing they weren't speaking like they're used to. The crocodile patted his chest to make sure it was speaking just fine. The weasel peered up toward Magnadramon, nearly frightened out of that floaty. "Are we fighting that!"

"No Buizel, she's on our side," Ash reassured. "We're going swimming to save someone." The two Pokémon knew what was to be done. They raced and dove into the ocean with Ash still fully clothed. So why did Ash go into the ocean. The screen beamed a white light which guided him and his two water creatures to where she should be. The Digimon were grappling in order to get an early advantage but they appeared even, although DarkDragomon consisted of two Digimon and Magnadramon was the grown form of Gatomon.

"_**Flame of Ruin!" **_DarkDragomon shouted as it spewed a black fireball from it's mouth. Magnadramon shifted her head to avoid the strike, allowing the fireball to fly into the distant. The fireball sailed over the trees but the miss left a trail of burnt death from the top of each tree. Those in the forest were spared. Magnadramon head-butted DarkDragomon away for her own attack.

"_**Fire Tornado!"**_ Magnadramon shouted as she sprayed white fire, nailing DarkDragomon on the chest. The flames swirled rapidly around the black dragon. DarkDragomon was trying to fend off the pain.

"_**Gargoyle Wing!" **_A flap of it's wing dispersed the flames before another flap ruptured a ripple which struck Magnadramon in the face. Magnadramon shook the blow but DarkDragomon was scorched badly from the Fire Tornado. It had 2nd, if not 3rd degree burns. Meanwhile, Ash, Totodile and Buizel swam deeper and deeper as they followed the light. There! A capsule and in it, a flailing Kari. There's oxygen in there. She's trying to scream for help but two things: that glass was thick and possibly soundproof and who could hear someone screaming from below the ocean? Seeing the opening facing the ocean bed, the three swooped below and emerged for air with a gasp.

"Ash!" she cried. A couple of coughs and Ash was ready to get Kari out.

"You okay?" he asked in a bit of concern.

"Just scared." She's okay physically, meaning she could get out. That's when she decided now was the best time to confess. She was nervous as well. "Ash... there's something I need to tell you." She was ready to say but Ash knew Magnadramon can't last much longer alone.

"It's gonna have to wait. Totodile will carry you back to the surface." Little did Ash know that was her only chance to tell him her affection towards him. You'll see why. Kari, thinking about her thoughts on Ash, felt that there was no choice but to listen as she dove in and wrapped her fingers around Totodile. Both Pokémon swam swiftly back up to the surface where Magnadramon was getting thrashed a bit despite the heavy damage of burns and cuts to DarkDragomon. Pikachu stepped up and fired a Thunderbolt, shocking the villainous dragon. However, they were more like static than electricity because DarkDragomon wasn't feeling it.

"This isn't good!" the Electric Mouse Pokémon squeaked in a bit of panic. So now what? When Kari saw Magnadramon, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"What in the world!" she freaked out. Ash had only one option: get Kari to safety. He recalled his Pokémon before grasping Kari's hand. The others who joined Ash to rescue Kari arrived at the cliff side overlooking the beach. They were awe stricken with the Dragon Digimon. You couldn't blame anyone, you normally don't see dragons in modern times, only in those medieval stories.

"_**When you Digivolved, he provided his aura to further strengthen you," **_DarkDragomon scoffed. **_"But that won't be enough! I'm far too powerful for a Holy Dragon Digimon to be beaten! Nightmare Eruption!"_** The evil dragon's eyes glow red. So was Magnadramon and she couldn't move.

"_**Oh no!" **_she cringed. **_"I...I can't give up!"_**

"_**You don't need to. I'll end it for you. Flame of Ruin!" **_DarkDragomon fired the flame and with an immoblized Magnadramon, Ash pulled out Kari's D3. This wasn't over and the aura burned brighter than ever.

"That's what you think!" he roared. Both the Flame of Ruin and Ash's giant beam of aura nailed Magnadramon at the same time. KABOOM! The blast didn't look good. Ash hoped his aura saved Magnadramon. He was sweating profusely and showing exhaustion. DarkDragomon believed and sneered at the Holy demise. Kari? Nothing she was seeing was believable. So whatever came next wouldn't be an exception. From what came from the remains of Magnadramon, a heavy suited knight with wings emerged from the smoke and debris of DarkDragomon's Flame of Ruin. The turquoise colored knight wore a turquoise helmet and other than her supermodel stomach, was armored head-to-toe. She also wore ten wings on her back: eight titanium steel with two angel wings furthest down. In one hand, she held a lance and the other a shield with a head of a unicorn as a decoration. She also wore stiletto heels which doesn't really fit with the knight attire but hey, whatever floated her boat.

"_**Impossible!" **_It's not the only one stunned that this knight took place of Magnadramon.

"Then you must know who I am since you are after the Light, DarkDragomon," the knight expressed. "I am the Celestial Digimon and mightiest angel, Ophanimon. My mission is to protect the Light from those who wish to snuff it in the darkness. It will be accomplished by the power of Eden's Javelin and the Sefirot Crystal." Ash was breathing somewhat heavily, exhausted from using so much of his aura. "You can stand down, Ash. You've done enough to protect me as Gatomon, as Nefertimon, as Angewomon and as Magnadramon. For that, I thank you. Leave the rest to me." Kari now realized that Ophanimon was her Digimon. This was Gatomon in Mega form.

"_**This tiny Digimon is suppose to stop me? Hah! You're not even worth the Flame of Ruin! Instead, a simple Gargoyle Wing will end you for good!" **_The flap of the Gargoyle Wing didn't deter Ophanimon and DarkDragomon's aim might need work. The ripples hit the sand but not her. If you're going to talk the talk, you got to walk the walk.

"Was that suppose to intimidate me?" If so, that failed. What now? Crystals emerged around Ophanimon like an oversized version of her shield. "Sefirot Crystal!" The crystals were launched from midair and pierced DarkDragomon repeatedly. DarkDragomon lowered itself, weakened from everything she, Magnadramon and Pikachu launched. Still, it wasn't ready to surrender.

"_**I'm ending everything right now!" **_It was a warning and ignoring Ophanimon's orders to fall back, Ash raced to her side while Pikachu guarded Kari. **_"Nightmare Eruption!" _**DarkDragomon fired it's Nightmare Eruption attack and forced Ash to activate his aura once again. A shield formed and the attack bounced off. Ash and Ophanimon were okay but Ash appeared out of gas. Sweat and labored breathing were signs that he was about to pass out.

"Ash, don't!" Pikachu warned out loud. "You saw what happened to Lucario! Don't push it, you'll die!" Ash knew he was reaching his limit. Still, stopping DarkDragomon was top priority.

"I have to protect everyone!" Ash mustered out of his weighed breathing. "Even you and Kari!" Ash summoned his aura once more. This was going to be one mighty strike. Ophanimon's javelin was a glow as well.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Ophanimon asked in concern. Despite weak, Ash scoffed in a sense to beat DarkDragomon once and for all.

"I'm not gonna back down. I just want to get rid of all this pent up rage I bottled up for so long, most of it from Team Rocket." Nice to know. With one mighty leap, Ophanimon and Ash flew with the javelin in the lead.

"Full power! Eden's Javelin!" DarkDragomon was ready to counter.

"_**Flame of Ruin!" **_One more flame spat out and struck the pair...but it was snuffed and the two were fine for the moment. BOOM! Eden's Javelin skewered DarkDragomon in the chest and the light enveloped inside. DarkDragomon screeched loudly to the light filling it. That's when a mighty flash and sounding blast ruptured. Everyone covered their eyes to prevent blindness. When the light dimmed, the epicenter was clear? Did the attack fail? Was DarkDragomon vanquished? Kari and Pikachu found Ash with an egg sitting by him. Ash's eyes no longer had the shine. His vision was all white like he was blind. His body was stiff, unable to move! He wasn't even breathing.

"Ash!" they cried as they ran to his side. Seeing the eyes, Pikachu knew Ash used up what remained of his aura. This wasn't good.

"No!" he mulled. "He used too much! I don't like this!" Kari put her hands on his shoulders, noting how ice cold they were.

"Is...DarkDragomon...gone?" he murmured. Kari saw nothing. It had to be.

"Yes!" she teared up. "You and Ophanimon slayed it!" No emotion from Ash.

"Good. I can finally rest." He was saying sleep... an eternal sleep.

"He's turning into the crystal that ended Sir Aaron and Lucario," Pikachu studied. "He's gonna leave." This wasn't good for Kari.

"Ash, you can't!" she cried out. "You can't go! There's so much that you need to do, so much I wanna see! Ash Ketchum, ever since you rescued your neighbors, I've grown very fond of you to the point that... that I love you! I wanna be with you for as long as I live!" Ash wasn't able to move a muscle, less make an expression. Crystals began to rapidly form from the legs. Ash had to admit something too but.

"Kari...I-" his voice was cutoff when his body was finally cocooned in the crystal. Kari finally said it but...it wouldn't matter now. She was devastated. She finally confessed to him only to have the cold shoulder, literally, come up. She let out a wail of a cry and Pikachu teared, knowing that there was nothing it could do. Ash was gone. On the cliff side, those who watched Ash succumb were saddened greatly. This was a dear friend who's no longer with them. Devastated would soon be unfathomable. From the sea, two "people" rose up. One was a woman in tattered black leather from head to toe while the other was a man dressed in navy blue attire meant for an aristocrat with a bat like eye mask. Both walked up to the scene, laughing at the worst case scenario that had unfolded.

"What a fool he was," the new woman snickered. "And now he's nothing more than a crystal. What a pity."

"Very true, LadyDevimon," the aristocrat sneered. "That means the light will be ours to control. We warned him that you cannot defeat evil entirely." No, but they gave it a good effort. Kari was too heartbroken with the death of Ash that she couldn't hear the two coming up the beach. Pikachu jumped in front of the distraught brunette. He was without his master so he had to be with Kari and Ophanimon was no longer present. "It's time, Kari Kamiya. With this moment, we'll complete the devastation upon the three worlds to end humanity once and for all." It was what Ash feared would be the case. However, Kari and Pikachu were about to get help. No, not from the cliff. WHA-POW! LadyDevimon was decked and hit the sand hard. The aristocrat spotted his partner and wondered what happened that beached her. He turned to see a group of humans and creatures. "Who are-" Only when one adjusted a cap did the aristocrat realized something unreal. "It...it can't be!" What can't be?

"Funny," one of the humans who sounded a heck of a lot like Ash...maybe younger, chuckled. "We had that same reaction when we first met, Myotismon!" Myotismon couldn't believe who some of the nine silhouettes were. Three of them looked very similar while three others were exactly alike. Who were they?

* * *

><p>TO BE CONCLUDED...<p> 


	10. Restoration & Romance

_Chapter 10/Final: Restoration & Romance_

* * *

><p>Myotismon was flabbergasted. LadyDevimon was knocked for a loop. Kari and Pikachu were guarding a crystal that was once Ash and everyone else saw silhouettes of nine figures approaching the enemy Digimon. They were also in more color than...well, everything else. Three of the figures were green fairy-like creatures who were more jilted than jubilant. Next were three more creatures. One was a giant reddish-brown lion with a metallic mustache. The second was a blue human jackal with spikes sticking out of its knuckles and chest. Last was a floating black legless phantom with white hair and short arms. Despite not having legs, it did appear to have a skirt. Finally, the three others. This was what surprised Myotismon...and one of them. Hold the phone...that's Ash! But wait, he's wearing that vest from the first chapter after coming home from Sinnoh. The second- That's Ash! Hold on, he's wearing an open blue spring jacket with a black t-shirt revealed. His red cap had a green triangle emblem on the white. The last- Okay, what the heck was going on? Another Ash? That one had a blue sweat-tee with his red cap having a black front, much like the first new Ash. At least they all wore jeans but with three boys staring down two Digimon who refuse to accept defeat, does anything make sense right now? "Are you seeing what I think shouldn't be possible?" Iris shuttered in thought.<p>

"We're all seeing it all right," Max confirmed. "Three different Ashes. I remember the one in the blue sweat-tee. He wore that throughout the Hoenn Region! The other two I can't tell." Maybe not Max but Pikachu had a clue. So how did they meet?

* * *

><p><em>(Flashback to White)<em>

_The Ash in the sweat-tee was with the two creatures in an area of...well, just white. "Okay, Celebi," he wondered. "Where did you take us?" Celebi, the fairy, wasn't sure itself._

"_This was where we were summoned to," it spoke before realizing...it could speak and covered it's mouth with the tiny arms. Ash studied that moment and realized that they were in a familiar area._

"_I take it we're in part of the DigiWorld. That's interesting." That's not the half of it. Or a third._

"_Fascinating," the jackal awed. "This is the first time I can speak without using my telepathy. You mentioned this when I wanted to know you better."_

"_Yeah but the DigiWorld's suppose to be like our world, Lucario. Why is it all white?" Before they could ponder..._

"_Hey!" another Ash, the one in the black vest, shouted out. When the first three turned to the next three, they were a bit shocked not just to see each other. This Ash from Sinnoh spotted Lucario like he saw a ghost...while having a ghost by his side. "Timeout! I saw you turn into a crystal after you used your aura to save Mew!" Lucario was rather offended by the accusiation. His Ash came into defense._

"_Hold on a second! What do you mean saving Mew? Mew kidnapped Pikachu and I was on my way to save it when Celebi-" Sweat-tee Ash saw Vest Ash's Celebi who aced buddy/buddy which both Ashes and the other two Pokémon witnessed._

"_Two Celebi," Lucario noted. "Now I know something isn't right." The ghost would agree._

"_**I, too, feel the uneasiness that has brought us altogether,"** he muttered. You want uneasiness, here came the last Ash, his Celebi and the lion._

"_Somehow, I don't think I'm gonna understand what's going on," he voiced, having the rest turn to him in gasps of surprise. While the third Celebi met up with the other two, the other two Ashes couldn't believe their eyes._

"_Entei!" they freaked out in unison. The Jacket Ash shrugged, wondering what the big deal was...until he viewed the other boys. They looked very similar._

"_You two wouldn't be named Ash by any chance, would you?" They shyly nodded, causing the Jacket Ash to stutter in disbelief. That's when the Sweat-Tee Ash tried to take control of the situation._

"_Okay, Ash and Ash, let's calm down for a minute," he sighed. Jacket Ash and Vest Ash, and the Pokémon turned to the boy with the plan. "Somehow, we three...or nine are here for a reason. Right now, we're in an isolated area of the Digital World." Vest Ash knew that when he heard Lucario. Jacket Ash? Not so much._

"_The Digital World?" he questioned. Sweat-Tee Ash and Vest Ash figured that the Jacket Ash didn't know about this place until after a certain journey._

"_Yeah, you've yet to find it," Vest Ash assured. "We could explain it but it would ruin the experience and maybe we wouldn't have been as fortunate with our Pokémon up to where I am. Now if I recall, you're traveling right now with Misty and Brock." Jacket Ash hiccuped when realizing who Vest Ash mentioned._

"_Yeah and Misty has Togepi." Another Pokémon Sweat-Tee Ash remembered before he had a question of his own._

"_Is Brock still traveling with you?" he asked._

"_Yeah..." Sweat-Tee Ash smirk with a follow-up._

"_Is he still chasing girls?" Vest Ash laughed at hearing Brock's habit as a topic of humor._

"_Yep, but his Croagunk's the one pulling him away, unlike Misty and Max." Jacket Ash scoffed at the misfortune of his breeder friend._

"_He's got worse luck than Team Rocket, doesn't he?" he chuckled before he wondered a name Vest Ash pointed out. "But who's Max? And furthermore, who's that Pokémon?"_

"_Yeah, I'm wondering that myself," Sweat-Tee Ash acknowledged. The ghost opted to introduce itself._

"_**I am Darkrai,"** it named. **"It's a pleasure to meet the younger versions of Ash."** Darkrai, huh? That's when Vest Ash recalled Entei and how it was alive._

"_By the way, Kanto Ash," he nicknamed. "How's Entei with us?" Kanto Ash was wondering why he was called that._

"_Kanto Ash?" he asked._

"_Easy way to know each other. You're Kanto Ash, he's Hoenn Ash since he's from the Hoenn Region and I'm Sinnoh Ash from the Sinnoh Region." Sinnoh Ash thought about it, didn't he?_

"_Good idea," Hoenn Ash agreed. "That way we can communicate a bit better." Kanto Ash thought hard about Entei's reappearance._

"_I'm not sure myself," he struggled. "I mean, the last I saw him was after he broke Unown's spell. I think Molly was messing with those pieces again." What pieces? Before Hoenn Ash and Sinnoh Ash had a chance to contemplate, a vortex opened up. There, they saw the current Ash beginning to crystal up in front of Kari and Pikachu. "Isn't that suppose to be us in the future?" Lucario seethed at the scene. This wasn't good._

"_Ash used his aura too extensively," he verified. Entei learned the issue quickly._

"_That's not all that's wrong," he growled. That's when they saw a pair of slightly reeling Digimon were starting to plant their feet. Myotismon and LadyDevimon had been separated after Ophanimon defeated them as DarkDragomon...at least in that form._

"_We need to defend Kari and Pikachu from Myotismon and LadyDevimon," Sinnoh Ash ordered. "How they're both alive is beyond even me." They're Digimon. They don't stay dead...at least to Myotismon's expertise. Kanto Ash led the group into the Dark Ocean where he had a clear shot at the black woman as she and Myotismon made their stroll toward Kari and Pikachu._

"_I doubt they'll see this coming," he sneered._

"_You've got the green light," Sinnoh Ash allowed. Kanto Ash started his dash with his fist at the ready. LadyDevimon heard the digging of sand and turned to face the oncoming assault. Probably not a good idea. WHA-POW!_

* * *

><p>LadyDevimon was slow to get to her feet while Myotismon scowled at the three duplicates of the one who sacrificed himself. "You do realize that you three are at a disadvantage," he lowly scorned. "This is the Dark Ocean, Digimon who thrive in the darkness are powerful against anything that confronts us." The Ashes just huffed a laugh as he was calling a bluff.<p>

"I'm sorry but did you forget what our older self did to you?" Sinnoh Ash countered. Kanto Ash stood aside Sinnoh Ash for his own point.

"Or how about who we brought along to continue your beat down?" he grinned. Lucario and Entei stood together in defensive stances. "WE thrive on overcoming obstacles that we come across." Hoenn Ash joined the side before he had his words.

"Your 'Dark Ocean Advantage' is just words compared to what we've accomplished as individuals, let alone altogether," he confidently malingered. Myotismon was just as determined to stop these three.

"Is that so," he refused to believe their hype with his arms crossed over his face. "Nightmare Claw!" He fired a shadow of a figure out at Hoenn Ash but Darkrai stepped in front of the attack, taking it head-on. The attack did nothing. Darkrai absorbed the blow remained floating. All Hoenn Ash did was shrug.

"We warned you..." Kari was astonished with these Ashes that she wanted to help out instead of playing the grieving widow despite not marrying Ash. Her grit forced her to her feet and she reached out for a Pokéball. LadyDevimon heard the steps and turned to a seething brunette.

"I'll..." she growled. "I'll punish you! Sandile, I choose you!" The ball opened and out popped Sandile.

"Lemme at 'em!" he snarled. Sure thing.

"Sandile, Sandstorm!" Sandile blew the sand up and created a torrent of sand, clouding Myotismon and LadyDevimon. Both shielded themselves from the surging sands. Hoenn Ash had an idea.

"Kanto, have Entei attack that wall!" he ordered. Kanto Ash bobbed while turning to Entei.

"You got this?" he addressed.

"Just watch," it roared before turning up the heat and roasting the sandstorm with a stream of fire from its mouth. The sands turned hot red. The evil Digimon weren't expecting a four-on-two struggle.

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon shouted as a bending red beam tore through the heated sandstorm, dispersing it. When the sands landed on its' cooler rest, Myotismon and LadyDevimon had the look that they were in the sun for too long...and without sunscreen. Guess they burn, not tan.

"That's what I call effective," Kanto Ash awed. Before the Digimon could react, Hoenn Ash and Lucario swooped in, Lucario with a blue sphere ready to fire and Ash with another uppercut. POW! Uppercut to the jaw of Myotismon. Lucario's turn. BOOM! The sphere to the face of LadyDevimon. This was a full-on blitzkrieg. As those two were flying from contact, they spotted Darkrai...and Pikachu. How did Pikachu board Darkrai. That's when Darkrai fired massive volts of electricity, striking both Digimon.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Sinnoh Ash yelled out. Pikachu leaped off in a stream of lightning, falling onto the two.

"This is gonna sting!" Pikachu roared. Contact! KABOOM! The explosion erupted flames and smoke for a second before the Digimon crashed the ground in a major heap while Pikachu flopped into Kanto Ash's arms, electricity sparking at him.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" he asked in concern. Pikachu rose a paw to tell him not to worry.

"I'm good, Ash. Just the recoil." Kanto Ash acknowledged Pikachu's condition. Then, laughter. Myotismon was getting to his feet despite all the injuries he's suffered. LadyDevimon? She's not rising as well as him.

"That's it?" he cackled. Kari was frightened to retreat to the crystal. "That's all the power you can inflict onto me? All you did was bluff!" The Ashes grinned, knowing that if he could stand up after all that, they could offer more damage. They wouldn't need to. A flash beamed down from the sky. Color emerged on everything else. That's when, breaking through the clouds, a humongous blue snake-dragon with facial hair of a hermit. Chains waived around the transparent body.

"Azulongmon!" Mimi recognized. Wasn't he mentioned in the past sometime? The dragon gazed down at the Digimon that were creating the havoc all throughout the series.

"Anyone thinking that we're in trouble?" Kanto Ash wondered. Sinnoh Ash didn't believe it was the case.

"We're defending, not destroying," he corrected. Hoenn Ash would agree with Sinnoh Ash.

"_**Myotismon!" **_Azulongmon bellowed in anger. **_"LadyDevimon! You've caused enough panic throughout the many worlds you've tormented, including worlds we Digimon were never meant to discover!" _**Azulongmon was not pleased, more peeved at the two non-human terrorists.

"Is that so, Azulongmon?" Myotismon scowled. "Your laws do not apply to me wherever I destine myself to discover. The human world and Pokémon World's posses methods to enter the DigiWorld where we Digimon can enter and exit as we please. We've even discovered that the Pokémon are tearing up the mainlands, destroying the environment that's home to the Digimon." What a liar. Azulongmon wasn't thrilled...but not at the Pokémon in their world.

"_**Do you take me for a fool, Myotismon? You and LadyDevimon concocted the switch of Digimon and Pokémon to occupy the Digidestined and the trainers that sought peace among all worlds! It was thanks to the townspeople of Pallet, along with the numerous trainers from all over their world that the Digimon were in understanding. Of course, the biggest thanks goes to the first trainer, Ash Ketchum." **_To hear Azulongmon was hearing him say that Ash was destined to discover the DigiWorld. There was more. **_"Besides, thanks to the Digidestined in the Pokémon World, I aided in returning the respected creatures to their rightful places."_** This was great news to those on the cliff. Everything Myotismon and LadyDevimon worked for was for naught.

"I think this means you two have lost," Hoenn Ash smirked. Kanto Ash and Sinnoh Ash shook while smiling at the losing pair. "You've messed with our world, you get what's coming at you." Myotismon knew he was going to pay for his crimes, yet turned to Kari.

"I lost?" he scorned. "Let me remind you that your future self died and Ophanimon is now a Digiegg. All that's left is her and that rodent. Technically, we've won. You just came after the fact." No shame. "Even you're all powerless to stop me. Crimson-!" WOW! A giant blue bolt of lightning rained down from the sky and blasted both Digimon. LadyDevimon was destroyed, no trace of her. Myotismon? Reeling.

"_**I shall punish you to the fullest extent,"**_ Azulongmon warned. **_"You're coming with me!"_** A blue beam struck Myotismon but wasn't hurting him. It did immobilize him, frozen in his tracks. That's when the beam began to retract with Myotismon cradled, much to his chagrin. Finally, the Digimon aristocrat disappeared into the clouds. Only Azulongmon would know what happens to him. That's when the Digital God turned to the Ashes. Were they going to be punished as well? _**"You three came in the aid of yourself in the future and Kari. I thank you for everything possible." **_No punishment, only praise.

"Thanks, big guy," Kanto Ash laughed. Sinnoh Ash wondered if there was anything Azulongmon could do to revive Ash.

"Azulongmon, our future self..." he tried to fancy the hope. "Is there a way to bring him back to life?" Azulongmon was about to shatter what remained of Kari's broken heart.

"_**There's...nothing I can do," **_he confessed. **_"I can resurrect Digimon, not humans." _** So that's it? Pikachu's without a master, Kari's without her boyfriend... it left Kari in tears. If Azulongmon couldn't revive Ash, it's over...or was it? Hoenn Ash had an idea.

"I think I know what to do," he wished. "What if we donate our aura to Ash?" Kanto Ash and Sinnoh Ash acted befuddled. Was Hoenn Ash serious? That's when Sinnoh Ash smiled.

"Hey, we've done the impossible, right?" he acknowledged. "I think it can work." Kanto Ash and Hoenn Ash could only hope the idea will work. Kari was too emotionally distraught to hear the plan. The Ashes gathered around the crystal with Kanto Ash not knowing how to use aura.

"So, how do you guys do it?" he asked. Sinnoh Ash chose to answer him.

"Concentrate. Let the energy flow from the center of your body to the palm of your hands." Kanto Ash and Hoenn Ash bobbed as all three closed their eyes and focused. Three spheres emerged from their hands. "Okay, let combine them."

"Right." The three spheres were pressed into each other, molding into a bigger sphere. The three Ashes maintained composure and the sphere when the crystal reacted to the power of the glowing orb. Pikachu saw that, a sign that Ash was still alive.

"Can it be?" he awed, making Kari shed less tears to see what the three were performing. She stood before making her way to the Ashes.

"E-Excuse me?" she spoke up. The Ashes turned to the female brunette, face scarcely stained from her crying. "Is it... Is it all right if I give it to him?" The boys were pretty caught off-guard. She requested to hold onto the sphere. Hoenn Ash remembered how much help Kari was in the first encounters. Kari could imagine how powerful that ball of blue light would be. The Ashes relinquished control and handed the sphere to Kari holding it firm but gently. The force of energy was trembling now with swirls of white light, almost unable to be held by one person. Everyone else held their collective breath. Kari bowed her head for a hopeful prayer. Finally, she knelt onto the crystal and offered the sphere which was absorbed. Even before the crystal reacted to the offer, Kari embraced it a hug. "Ash! Please come back! Please!" Kari, prepare for your prayers to be answered. A flash of light erupted from the crystal, forcing all but Kari to shield their eyes. When the light subsided, the crystal was gone...but Ash was human again. Kari wrapped her fingers, clutching cloth, not crystal. The other Ashes and Pikachu were shocked to see their crazy idea work. Ash opened his eyes, the glisten back in his eyes...and Kari was the first thing he saw.

"K-Kari!" he murmured. Hearing his voice again, Kari twisted her head to his face. Ash saw the messy face of Kari, nearly not realizing what his supposed death caused. "Your face!" Kari started crying again, gripping Ash harder and harder.

"Don't leave me again!" she whined loudly. "You don't know what I had to go through!" Lucario was intrigued with the results. Understanding her peril, Ash wrapped his arms around the girl who confessed to him as he crystallized. Pikachu raced to Ash's side, thankful to see him awake.

"You're back!" he squeaked happily. The other Ashes were satisfied with the turnout. They turned to the Celebi, wanting to return to their own time.

"Hey, Celebi, we should get cutting," Hoenn Ash announced. The Celebi and their other Pokémon agreed. They've already done enough damage by joining together and risking the fabric of space and time. Kanto Ash got to Ash's side, wanting to give his final goodbye.

"Ash," he spoke, having the present gaze at his past. "Listen, man. Take it easy for a few days before going back. You've made Pikachu and she so worried." He knew how exhausted Ash was from his battle.

"I will," he replied. Both fist-pumped each other. Kari and Pikachu turned to see Ash's past lives depart.

"By the way, I gotta call mom and tell her nothing black on my later adventures," Hoenn Ash joked. Sinnoh Ash wasn't one to laugh too much.

"Hey, that outfit got ruined by Team Rocket, alright?" he snapped in admittance.

"I'm just saying that wearing black's gonna give me bad luck."

"Try wearing a different color undershirt than black, why don't you? And besides, when did you become superstitious?"

"Okay, you two," Kanto Ash cackled in an attempt to calm all down. "Let's just get back home and try to keep Brock in check." At last, something the other two would accept.

"Okay!" the two agreed. Finally, the Ashes and the Pokémon vanished in a flash of light. That left the rest to approach the heroes. As they were regrouping, Ash recalled something Kari said as he died in that crystal.

"Did...you mean what you said, Kari?" he reminded. Kari knew what he was questioning.

"I did, Ash," she blushed. "I do love you. You've been there for everything. I don't wanna leave you ever again." What she did next, you'd see this coming a mile away. She undressed his head and kiss him on the lips...and she didn't want to let go as the others made it to the survivors. Ash succumbed to the power of her lips softly but firmly pressed on his with a dressing of happy tears.

"_Oh, la la!"_ Catherine awed. _"Mademoiselle Kari tres adore Monsieur Ash!"_Even if you don't understand French, you knew what she was talking about. Iris was not as impressed.

"There are easier ways to impress a girl than risking your life," she pegged down Ash. "Honestly, what a little kid!" Mimi was ready to shoot those words back at the Dragon trainer.

"Like you know what to do in the face of danger?" she sneered. Iris froze in body and mind. This could have targeted her and she wouldn't have had a way to fight out of it. "The way I see it, you're the little kid who needs to grow up." Low blow, Mimi! Even Max and Maria firmly bobbed nods. Iris screeched in anger that she was the one getting downgraded, not Ash. After a while, everyone returned to Earth to hear the good news that Azulongmon worked on. Everything was restored and that the Digimon were back in the DigiWorld and the Pokémon were back in the Pokémon World. Acknowledging the fact that the worlds were restored, Ash was ready to continue on his adventures. However, Kari convinced him to chill out for a few days. While they waited, the Pokémon and the Digimon, all owned by the way, played soccer despite hardly knowing the game. Davis coached them and had fun, much to Dawn's delight. Heck, Ash and Kari had tagged along with Dawn and Davis for a double date. In a sense, Davis _was_ hanging out with Kari. Too bad that his initial prize went to someone else. Finally, Gatomon was reborn, but was a green ball with her tail. Give her time, she'll grow up. After the few days, Ash, Iris and Kari, along with their friends, were on their way back to the Unova Region. But let's skip ahead...a few years...like a decade.

* * *

><p><em>(Lake Valor Pokémon Center 10 years later)_

It had been 10 years since the chaos of Digimon and Pokémon caused havoc for all the worlds. The peace among both monsters' groups was never any stronger than today. Yet today was a very special day. A raven-haired man and a brunette woman were setting up dishes of food. Was there a party? Actually, yes. There's a flier that indicated the event.

WEDDING LAKE VALOR MAY 15, NOON

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE WEDDING OF DAVIS & DAWN

RECEPTION LUNCHEON AFTER THE WEDDING IN THE STADIUM LOUNGE

Wait a second...Davis and Dawn getting married, not Ash and Kari? A cell phone rang. The brunette picked it up. "Kari Ketchum!" she replied. Wait...she's already married? We missed it?

"Kari, it's me!" a familiar voice cheerfully echoed.

"Good morning, Dawn! Any reason you're calling?"

"Nerves. I wanna go through with this but I don't wanna fall on my face and embarrass either side." Kari scoffed a little laugh. "I'm serious! You and Ash had unreal composure when you two wed with the ElecSalamon roaming around." ElecSalamon? Would she be meaning the litter of yellow puppies sleeping by Gatomon and Pikachu in the living room? How many weddings did we miss?

"You think you're the only one nervous about today?" Kari turned to her raven-haired husband. "Ash, how many showers has Davis taken today?" Ash had to remember the noises from this morning.

"Three," he said. That's when the shower ran again. "Make that four. I heard of cleaning up your act but this is ridiculous." Kari and Dawn giggled at Davis' way of dealing with such a tense situation.

"It's also highly uncharacteristic of him. He doesn't give in to fear so swiftly, if at all." Say hello to reality, Davis. Then, another raven-haired teen entered.

"Well guys?" a nostalgic voice cheered. The couple saw their younger friend...in a tuxedo-printed t-shirt. Kari was in a yellow satin gown with a pink wool light sweater-type jacket opened while Ash had fashioned himself in a blue tux. Ash sighed in displeasure.

"Max, really?" he voiced his disagreement. Max was without his glasses. Contacts? Laser surgery?

"What? It's a suit!" Even Kari had to agree with Ash and not because they're husband and wife.

"I remember Tai wearing that when he went on that date in Nice with Catherine," she noted. "But this isn't a date you're going to, dear. Go back and get changed." Max mulled at the rejection. Ash and Kari knew he meant well. It's just the wrong occasion for that t-shirt. Max retreated to get himself properly dressed. Finally, the familiar Afro-brunette emerged in a turquoise tuxedo. "Finally squeaky clean there, Davis?" Flustered, Davis muttered something to try and mask that mug of shame. Ash and Kari were wondering because he kept it muffled.

"Look, you'll be fine, Davis," Ash reassured. "It's like an interview and all you need to do is say a few words." Listen to him like he knows what goes on in weddings. "Tai, TK and I held ourselves in check when in front of the crowd." Tai and TK got married? To who? A shy laugh from Davis wasn't settling in well. Leave it to the other half to help out.

"If it eases you any, Dawn's just as nervous as you." Davis was rather awed. His bride-to-be was in an emotional wreck as he was. His nerves were loose again.

"Sorry, guys," he apologized. "It's just that...I do better against the forces of evil like the Dark Masters to Team Rocket and so on. Weddings are completely different and how TV stayed so composed to Misty, I doubt I'd do the same." Laughter echoed but it wasn't from the couple...but the litter. A couple of the ElecSalamon heard the funny exchange.

"Uncle Davis is funny!" one of the pups barked in humor.

"Yeah, he is!" the other scoffed loudly. The happy woofing frustrated Davis all over again.

"Okay, you two!" Ash scorned softly. "Let's not upset Uncle Davis anymore than he already is." The ElecSalamon quieted their hounding to give Davis peace. After Max was properly in a green tux over his goofy t-shirt, they loaded the car with the food before departing for the stadium. There, scores of people, including trainers, former trainers, Digidestined, parents and some others were waiting for the wedding to arrive. The gazebo was set for the wedding, white with streamers and balloons. A white rug centered between rows of seats. There were even some familiar faces but that would take too long to name all who were there. A man in the cloth stood in front with green hair sticking out of his beret. Everyone found seats for the celebration.

"Okay, everyone," he spoke out. "We'll be starting soon." Everyone was quiet, though there were some whispers in the crowd. Suddenly, the organ began to play. A little girl pranced down the isle, spreading pedals on the rug. Davis and a few of his groomsmen of his choice, all in black, waited by the alter in the front. Coming down the isle were some of the bridesmaids in white gowns with a woman in a gorgeous white sparkling gown and a veil over her face. Blue hair came out of the back of the tiara. Finally, she was by Davis' side. Pray that this goes through without a hitch. The music stopped.

"Here we go." Davis muttered under his breath.

"Good afternoon and welcome to Lake Valor. I can assure you that we had plenty of time for everyone to find the lake for today. However, today isn't a sightseeing tour but a tour for Davis and Dawn into a joint life together. The weather has cooperated and the gods in all of our worlds are here to witness what was once impossible to know being commonplace. Today, Dawn and Davis are ready to make a step many others in the past have made as well as those in the future will experience. As we are ready to unite the two, if anyone has doubt as to why these two shant wed, become a family, speak now. Otherwise, hold your peace until the end." Everyone remained quiet. Physically, not mentally.

"Other than being the Grand Festival Champion, Wallace is pretty good at being a priest,' Max thought. Without a word spoken...

"Very well, then. Davis, will you please reveal Miss Dawn face from behind the veil?" Easy! Davis "clipped" the veil and reveal a lavishing young face of Dawn. Her cheeks were blushing red and that's not foundation. "Davis, will you accept Dawn as your beloved wife, and become her beloved husband to live in the harmony of your heart, your soul and your world, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, overcoming the many perilous obstacles that come betwixt you and her until death do you part, in front of your friends and families?" Seeing Dawn practically made her forget about Kari. Then again, everything that had happened and to Ash those ten years ago, Davis saw him only desiring the girl who desired him.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he answered. "Therefore, I do." Nice touch. Kari hid her face in embarrassment with her hand and elbowed Ash. Why, did he have him practice that? Ash got defensive to her.

"Not me," he whispered.

"Now, Dawn," Wallace continued. "Will you accept Davis as your beloved husband and become his beloved wife to live in the harmony of your heart, your soul and your world, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, overcoming the many perilous obstacles that come betwixt you and her until death do you part, in front of your friends and families?" Dawn huffed a giggle, ready to make the next step.

"Of course," she smiled. "I do to every word." That's when one of the groomsmen came forward with a ring embedded in a pillow. Davis plucked it from the pillow and presented it to Dawn. Everyone held collective breaths, hoping everything worked. Davis slipped the gold ring with a shimmering pearl onto Dawn's finger. Perfect fit.

"Let it be known that these two have acknowledged their love together and are ready to live lives as one. Upon those above and here as our witnesses, I happily pronounce you as husband and wife, Davis and Dawn Motomiya. You may kiss the bride." Finally, the two kissed...and it seemed like they were stuck. Davis, were you chewing on gum for this? Either way, the crowd hoot and hollered the union of the joyous pairing. It was quite a sight. There were weddings we missed but it's a good thing to know about this. For the three worlds of Earth, the Pokémon World and the DigiWorld, peace will be forever.

* * *

><p>THE END OF THE SERIES<p> 


End file.
